why is the catholic church againest IVF?

Answer 1

the Roman Catholic Church does not believe that having a baby is a God-given right that can be demanded. In 1990, the Church summarised its position clearly: - "Life is God's gift and we do not have a right to children."



The Catholic Church is very clear that life begins at the moment of conception. In 1974, the Pope wrote in the Document on Procured Abortion:- "From the time that the ovum is fertilised a new life is begun which is neither that of the father or the mother. It is the life of a new human being with its own growth. It would never become a human if it were not human already." The Church is therefore against any procedure which creates spare embryos that are later destroyed or experimented upon. Any created embryos should have the status of a human. To deliberately destroy or experiment upon an embryo in this way is very wrong. Therefore, the Catholic Church can support the use of Artificial Insemination which does not create spare embryos. IVF however, is an acceptable practice if only the number of eggs are fertilised which are to be replaced in the mother. We cannot support creating spare embryos which are later destroyed. Life begins at conception and we must respect that as we develop new techniques of helping people like yourselves.

Christians also believe that marriage is an exclusive relationship between two people. It is the correct place for sexual intercourse to take place. Christians hold that God gave us sex for two reasons, to procreate (have children) and to unite the couple together. It is sex that makes two people one (look up 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16 or Genesis chapter 2 verse 24 if you wish in your Bible). The Roman Catholic Church does not believe that using donor egg or sperm is an acceptable practice. Indeed Pope Pius XIIth equated sperm donation to "mechanical adultery." This is because using a donor is separating the procreative aspect of sex from the uniting part of sex. If you used donor sperm you would be bringing in a third person to your marriage and this is not what God wants.

The Catholic Church has taken a firm stance against IVF from its inception because it creates unnatural barriers against holy matrimonial relationships.

"It violates natural law, which is the reflection of God's will," explains Father Joseph C. Howard Jr., M. Div., director of the American Bioethics Advisory Commission, an American Life League division. "In sexual intercourse the very nature of conjugal relations is two-fold: unitive and procreative. Any procedure that dissociates those two is wrong. IVF separates the unitive from the procreative, which renders the child an object or commodity that can be exploited." That such separation is morally wrong is the same teaching that underlies the Church's objection to contraception.

But now that the actual use of IVF has produced the secondary moral problem of what to do with "surplus" embryos, others are condemning the procedure as well.




These are not my views at all, just the Catholic position on it so don't attack me if you disagree I am only answering the question.

Answer 2

I'm not Catholic ... but perhaps because it's not a 'natural' way of conceiving a child. Here's an excerpt from something I found on the internet:

128. Sadly, the technique of IVF also has its darker side. Procreation does not come about as a result of the physical union of the couple in sexual intercourse, but reproduction occurs in the laboratory. The use of fertility drugs and collection of eggs from the woman can have complications. There are often multiple pregnancies, which carry health risks. While healthy and happy children are born, other human embryos are deliberately discarded because they have been judged 'unfit' or 'surplus to requirements'. The ability to screen embryos for genetic characteristics before transferring the ones who are thought desirable has far-reaching consequences. In the future it may be possible for embryos to be selected for sex, physical appearance and other characteristics. Instead of being regarded as a gift, a child would then be treated as a commodity, the product of parental choice. When children are conceived by a process of production, however sincere the motivation, some form of quality control is very likely to result.

Answer 3

Catholics and many other Christians believe that a soul is placed in a human at the point of conception. This is why the Church celebrates on March 25 the feast of the Annunciation when Mary said "Yes!" to God and Jesus was conceived. Life is sacred and a gift from God.

In most in vitro fertilizations, more than one egg is fertilized. Several embryos are then placed into the mother's womb. The remaining embryos are either destroyed or frozen. Destroying human embryos is abortion and freezing them with an unknown future hope of ever being born is not respecting the dignity of human life.

Later if and when the embryos begin to grow in the mother, all but one or two are usually aborted, again killing sacred human life.

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Religions aren't to any extent further "logical" and also you should under no circumstances locate out the genuine rationalization for her dismissal as "disobedience" to a college isn't inevitably disobedience to a "catholic" church or the Vatican. from time to time some bishops make judgements on their own. the faculty is a private entity, the Church is a private entity and as deepest golf equipment, they make up the guidelines in "isolation" yet with some commonly used "adherence" to the "hierarchy" of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican has no longer come out against IVF, yet i'm particular that to apply the technologies, one has to ask "permission" for some type of "dispensation"....the instructor may have damaged both the faculty guidelines or the "asking" permission rule from the "better ups" Cyril Borg, the Cyborg...

Answer 5

I've not heard that one, as a matter of fact, I have a good friend who's a pretty devout Catholic who had 2 kids via IVF.

Answer 6

Catholics are against everything that could make the bible look wrong they even added 2 more books to the bible to make people learn more about religion in school come on really what do you learn in religion class that you don't already know

Answer 7

It's business as usual for a church that's against everything modern people accept.

Answer 8

Because it is not natural conception. Also, embryos are at risk of being killed and sperm is sacrificed during the process.

Answer 9

Because it is not a natural form of conception.

Answer 10

They seem to be against everything fun, good, or usefull