What is the Catholic churches view on IVF? If indeed there is one.?

Question

Wondering the view of the church rather than individual views of catholic.

** Allen T - why is it a sin when the child would be bought up in a loving environment? If a child is bought in to this world and loved surely there cannot be a differntiation between the parents they have. I don't truly beleive there is some secret army of lesbians out there marching in on the IVF clinics anyway so I think you need not worry.

I'm after the official stance not a personal view.

** The cub - thank you for these- was just being lazy and hoping someone would find out for me while I got on with the work I was meant to have finished yesterday :)

*** Thank you Froy

Answer 1

IVF is understood as in vitro fertilization. It is an artificial procreation.which is opposite the natural which requires a transmission of life that is personal and conscious act. This personal act is the intimate union of the love of spouses who, in giving themselves completely to each other, give life.

Not all artificial means are necessarily forbidden if their function is only to facilitate the natural act., or to ensure that a normally performed act reaches its proper end. This is
homologous artificial insemination, that is, within matrimony with the semen of the partner, when this is obtained through a normal marriage act.

But homologous IVF is illicit because conception is not the result of a conjugal act - "the fruit of conjugal act specific to the love between the spouses" - but outside it: in vitro through techniques which determine the conditions and decide the effect. Fertilization takes place outside the bodies of the spouses.It is not "actually effected nor positively willed as an expression of and fruit of the specific act of conjugal union," but as a "result" of a technical intervention.

It will result to considering life as a mere "thing" which man claims as his exclusive property, completely subject to his control and manipulation. This is a very dangerous attitude to human life.

This is the official catholic view on IVF.

Answer 2

Catholic View On Ivf

Answer 3

My understanding of the Church's view is that it is morally wrong, because it violates the childs diginity. The child is treated as an object in this case. For the parents, it demonstrates a selfishness, not a giving, out of an attitude that they have a right to have a child, or that they are an object of ownership. All children are seen as gifts from God and God has a plan for how that works, which does include adoption.

Here is a quote from "Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to Certain Questions of the Day", pg 31.

"If the technical means facilitates the conjugal act or helps it to reach its natural objectives, it can be morally acceptable. If, on the other hand, the procedure were to replace the conjugal act, it is morally illicit."

I would recommend reading the whole document published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was written in 1987 by Cardinals Ratzinger (Pope Bennedict) and Cardinal Bovone.

Answer 4

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.

For more information, see: http://www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/98rlphaa.htm
or the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 2270 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt2art5.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

I don't know the official stance on the matter, but a friend of mine was recently talking with her Catholic friend about how it may be her only chance to get pregnant and her friend told her that some people just aren't meant to have children and that if God decides that's the plan for you, that you shouldn't question it or go and take matters into your own hands. My friend was so hurt by this, she actually left the beach condo they had rented for the week and didn't speak to that woman for months. When she finally did, she asked why it was so wrong of her to "interfere with God's plan for her" but it was ok for her friend's mother to undergo chemo-therapy when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Isn't one plan from God as valuable as the other?

That was only the opinion of one person, not the entire church, but I would doubt the Catholic church would look too favorably on IVF.

Answer 6

It would seem that the Catholic church is against ivf if it involves the destruction of embryo's (which it usually does), or used for stem cell research or organ farming. For approval, ivf would have to be for married couples only, and you would have to implant all embryo's produced, and not destroy or abort any, under any circumstance.

Answer 7

Come on guy the catholic church has a position on everything.
I don't see any sin as long as it's a husband wife thing.
Having one lesbian impregnated to have a child to raise with two Mommy's no that's sin on several levels.

Answer 8

It's not "natural"...so, I suspect it's not viewed favorably.

Peace, Love, and Blessings
Greenwood

Answer 9

I would try here:

http://www.kofc.org/publications/cis/catechism/index.cfm

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc/index.htm

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html

Answer 10

i would like to know too.