IVF Controversy

*Disclaimer: The subject of this post can hit a lot of hot buttons for many people. So if you are not into that please don't read this particular post. Brendan wanted me to remind everyone that we promised to write about everything on our minds, but not everyone will like it or agree with it, so please read with caution and we love you all regardless of your opinions on this issue.*

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, on to a subject that has been bothering me. IVF. It seems like everyone is doing it these days, from celebrities to the next door neighbors. If you can't conceive just do IVF. They have even made movies making IVF this amazing way to have a baby. Well, as a practicing Catholic it is neither moral or licit and I'm kind of fed up.

What prompted this blog post you may ask? Why the Internet of course! Since getting married I've been a part of many online forums about babies and breastfeeding and trying to conceive. There is always the forum trolls and the sancti-mommies (as Brendan calls them) and I usually choose to ignore ignorant, silly posters. But today I could no longer be silent when one of the threads was asking if there were any Christians doing IVF. Most of the responses were from protestants or those calling themselves Christian but not really caring if the church they attended was okay with IVF. I was fine with that, not happy, but I could deal. What I got me upset was the Catholic posters who either didn't care, said a priest told them it was okay and those who clearly misrepresented what the Church teaches. So I responded. I had to. Hopefully I shed some light for the original poster, and maybe I got a few people to think. Only God knows. I'm including my response below. The Catholic Church is not anti-baby, in fact it is so pro-baby that it teaches a baby should only be conceived in a loving marriage that is open to life.

With no further ado, here is my forum post from today:

I had to respond to this thread to clarify the Catholic Churches teachings on IVF and reproductive technology. I'm not posting this to get anyone angry or upset, but I feel that the Catholic Church is being misrepresented and being called old fashion and her people uneducated.
 
The Catholic Church opposes separating the unitive and procreative aspects of intercourse. Lets take the analogy of food. Food is both pleasurable and needed for survival. So what of a person who eats and eats and eats, then throws up so that they can eat some more?  We would say that person is misusing food. So too, people who use contraception, misuse intercourse in the same way. They separate out the procreative part of intercourse in order to just have the unitive the “pleasurable” part.
 
So why am I talking about contraception? Because under Catholic Church teaching, IVF is just the flip side of that same coin. IVF/ART, even IUI’s are taking the procreative part of sex and having that be the end all be all, without the unitive part.
 
So yes, destroying “extra” embryos is of course wrong, but the Catholic Church is opposed to IVF/ART, etc because it destroys marital unity, which requires BOTH the unitive and procreative aspects to be valid.
 
Anyone, (even Catholic priests) who say IVF/ART/IUI’s are morally licit under Catholic Church teachings are WRONG. They might be well intentioned, but the Catholic Church has held firm on this issue and will continue to do so.
 
Am I saying that the Catholic Church condemns children conceived using IVF etc? Of course not. Just the means by which they were conceived. Just as in the case of rape. The means by which the child was conceived was immoral, but the child themselves are innocent.
 
So as a practicing Catholic what can you do? Well, just as instead of using contraceptives you use FAM/NFP and abstain during fertile times (if you don’t want to conceive). For the making babies part you can do any drug therapy regimen, shots, hormone therapies, etc, just as long as the procreative and unitive aspects stay intact.
 
And to add my two cents:
And what happens when you have exhausted all the morally licit ways to try to conceive and still have no baby and really want one? ADOPT!!!!!! For goodness sakes! With all this talk about IVF and the money that it takes and struggle people go through, you could use all of that and put it into adoption and give some child (or 7) a very loving and happy home.
 
Sorry to have written a novel. But I needed you to hear the Catholic Churches position on the subject. And as for me personally, we had to use fertility drugs (clomid) to get pregnant. I desire to have a large family, but if we cannot conceive anymore children, we will adopt (we will probably adopt regardless because we want our football team!) Good luck on your decision, and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

I guess I have become quite a controversial mommy! Lol. Our family loves being Catholic and wouldn't trade it for the world. Have a very blessed Sunday one and all.

The Kenny Family