# Moral implications of IVF?



## L_ouise

Hello 

I hope i don't cause offense by asking about this, but i feel like i am facing a moral dilemma now that i am considering IVF.

I was raised a Catholic and although i do not go to church, it's teachings have founded the basis of my moral judgements.

I am not pro-life when it comes to things like abortion - for other people to have an abortion, in my opinion, is their decision and it is not my place to judge them.

However, now that i must apply the same logic to myself, i am struggling. I am having issues with the prospect of creating embryos that will never be used. Are they little children waiting to be born? Am i willfulling ending their life?

My views on religion is that if God exists, that he can see all and cares as much for intention as for action. My intention is to have my own biological children, not to create life just to destroy life - but i don't know if i am just creating a convenient theory for myself.

I am hoping that there are other Catholics or Christians that have had IVF and how it sits with them in terms of their own morals.

Please respect that everyone is entitled to their beliefs, i know it can be a touchy subject and i wouldn't like any nasty comments.

Thanks


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## skybluesarah

Hi,
You're right in that Catholic teaching on IVF can be difficult.  Broadly - IVF is not considered okay, not just because of the potential of spare embryos, but also because it's an act where a baby is made not in the traditional way (!), and introducing a third party into the process.  If you are concerned about spare embryos, it is possible to have IVF done without this happening, and I know some people who have done that.  I'm Catholic, and we decided not to go for IVF - we used Life FertilityCare.  I do know Catholics who did go for IVF too - and the fact is, any child is a child of God, regardless of how they came about.  It's very much a matter for your own conscience - mine said no, but yours may say yes.


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## mollymittens

Louise- I am also a Catholic and I teach in a Roman Catholic School. I beleive that I was meant to be a mother and that God is with me throughout my journey to achieve this. I believe that God will love my children no matter how they where concieved. I also believe that God will be my judge and only God and that no one on earth has the authority to judge me. My parish priest is supportive of my decision and has been a fantastic support to both me and my husband.
Sky- I have heard of Life as they come into the school that I work in to talk to senior pupils. It is amazing that u r eligiable for their treatment, if u had blocked fallopian this would not be the case.
Just my opinion.


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## chocolate_teapot

Hi - it is a problem I have struggled with too. My husband is catholic and we have three embryos frozen. We didn't actually intend to freeze embryos but were convinced to at the last moment and now we have to make a decision. Personally I do not believe that the embryo is viable until it has a heartbeat. The frozen embryos we have are just a few cells. Having said that, we were very lucky in that we had 2 transferred and we had twins....it is difficult not to regard them as new lives. I don't really have an answer but you are not alone!


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## Hippogriff

Hi

I'm also a Catholic, and my problems with the moral implications of creating embryos that will be destroyed was one of my reasons for going for embryonic adoption - this feeling that I hadn't chosen to make these embryos, they would be sitting in a freezer regardless of my actions, all I was doing was offering the chance for life to them.

But also I'm a science graduate and a veterinary surgeon.  I have a certain ambivalence towards the state of an unimplanted embryo.  I can't give them quite the same status in my mind as an implanted one that has started to grow.  In my mind, an acorn is not an oak tree, it is the potential of an oak tree, and in a similar way, an unimplanted embryo is the potential of a human life but not yet a human life - worthy of respect in its own right, but not the same.  We really have no idea at what point ensoulment takes place - if such a term can even be used, and so all we can do is give a wide margin for error.  A baby that can survive outside the womb is a human life.  If an unimplanted embryo in the womb splits and implants as two identical twins, they are two people - two lives, two souls.  So the best evidence we have at present, and God alone knows the truth, is that it happens at some point between implantation and birth.  Beyond that, all we have is our own conscience to guide us, and as I said in another thread, trust in the infinite love and mercy of God.

God bless you

Hippogriff


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## jo-a

Hi everyone, I just wanted to post a reply as i have not just been christened but am going to be soon (next month ) as a roman catholic , My priest asked me if I felt ready and I asked him about the churches view on IVF he said that they regard all embryos as life and the problem they have with it is that some embryos get used for research or just discarded but he also said that if its what i wanted then I would have to figure out my relationship with god and to decide if I wanted to become a catholic still but he was fine with it he also made a point that he doesnt know whether the members of the parish are all taking the pill or are out having abortions etc. 

I also read on the internet that the church believes the soul is made as soon as the embryo is made but not if it happens in a petri dish but i have to draw the line there personaly i think if that the case it shouldnt matter where the embryo is made.

But I am going to go ahead and become a catholic anyway because it doesnt say nothing about it in the bible (obviously) 

anyway thank you for this post 

Good luck everyone xxx


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