Some moral and ethical issues concerning IVF techniques
IVF is not allowed by the Catholic Church because it separates the unitive and the procreative aspects of marriage. To separate the unitive and the procreative aspects of marriage is a mortal sin. In addition the sperm donor commits a mortal sin in order to harvest the sperm which is needed for IVF.
Although one human life may be created through the IVF technique, many surplus foetuses, (unborn babies), are destroyed through this process. Other surplus unborn babies are left frozen in the laboratories where they were manufactured as though they were not human beings, but simply consumer goods. They were not created in love through the marriage act as God intends.
What a nightmare dilemma the presence of these forgotten, frozen, (so called left over, surplus, not needed), human beings has caused us. Sometimes the parents have died or have changed their minds about having the IVF baby, which is already in existence. There appears to be no answer to this problem except to leave them there. To destroy them would be murder.
Another unhappy business regarding IVF techniques is that multiple implants are made in the woman's womb in the hope that one of these pregnancies will come to term, and that a live baby will be born, however sometimes the outcome is that the woman instead of carrying one baby, may be carrying several babies. A process called selective reduction is sometimes resorted to. This means that the surplus babies are aborted, (which means that they are murdered).
IVF mix-ups have occurred with disastrous consequences. Some women did not end up with their husband’s baby, but with another man’s baby. Just think what chaos that could bring to the marriage and to family life. Divorce has been one of the bitter fruits of these events.
There are other very disturbing developments brought about through these techniques. People conceived through these techniques are in danger of unknowingly marrying relatives. These marriages further increase the risk of sicknesses and or disability. It would not be the fault of the people involved, but nevertheless this is highly undesirable.
Marrying relatives has been shown even in the natural order, to produce more illnesses among the children born on account of these marriages. This has been shown in the case histories of the frequent marriages between relatives of the royal families of Europe, where many of the male children were born with the hereditary bleeding illness called haemophilia.
Babies bought about by IVF techniques are more likely to be sick and/or disabled, as has been seen in other unnatural techniques of bringing about new life, such as cloning, which deviates from God's plan for procreation. At the present time cloning is only done on animals. There is mounting evidence of the large amount of deformities and sicknesses in animals bought about in this way. If this happens to animals we would be foolish to believe this would not happen to human beings also, if these unnatural techniques of bringing new life into existence are utilised.
If IVF gains acceptance, it is probably only a matter of time before even more diabolical reproductive technologies are used. It is not wise, nor is it moral, to go against nature by techniques such as IVF and in the process increasing the chances of sickness and/or disability. (This is not in any way an argument against the right to life of sick and disabled people.)
The so-called medical scientists involved in IVF technology are not usually there for the happiness of infertile couples. They are proving to themselves and to others what they can do with human life, and they are playing God. Money also motivates them, as it does the drug companies who sell contraceptives, and abortionists who destroy human life for financial gain.
The Catholic Church is sympathetic to all infertile married couples. However this does not mean that anything goes in order to achieve a baby. Any methods employed to enhance the chances of having a baby should be morally sound, such as learning to identify the fertility markers (symptoms), in the woman's body, which may occur far less often in women who are experiencing the problem of infertility than in other women, and then using that information to advantage, to improve the chances of achieving a pregnancy.
Many people throughout the ages have prayed to the saints for help regarding infertility problems, and have had their prayers granted. Adopting a child sometimes has been known to bring about an end to an infertility problem. Some previously infertile couples have gone on to have several children of their own, after the generous act of adopting a child.
Natural law, which applies to all, with which Catholic doctrine is absolutely consonant, lets us know that IVF is absolutely wrong for all people under all circumstances.
