"Excluded is any action, which either before, at the moment of, or after marital intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation-whether as an end or as a means" (no. 14). –Paul VI
This quote from the Humanae Vitae is The Catholic Church’s basis for condemning contraceptives such as condoms or birth control pills. The Pope and the Church believe that any method which a couple uses to inhibit the birth of a child is inherently ‘conta-life’ or against life. They believe that the intent to keep a baby from being born is just as morally wrong as ending the life of a conceived embryo (aka abortion).
However, if this is the case, why would the Church also be against In Vitro Fertilization which has the intent, not of preventing life, but rather of helping it enter the world? The Catholic Church teaches that IVF is morally wrong without exception, even if a couple use their own egg and sperm. The Church explains in Donum Vitae (1987) that “it is morally wrong for couples to attempt to generate human life outside of, or apart from, the act of marital sexual intercourse”. Since In Vitro Fertilization generates life outside of marital sex, the Church is against it.
In Vitro Fertilization is a medical process of artificial insemination, which combines eggs and sperm outside of the body in a laboratory setting (hence the phrase ‘test-tube babies’). Once the embryo forms, it is put back in the mother, and the pregnancy continues as usual. IVF can help couples that have been struggling to conceive on their own, and can also help if the couple has various medical conditions that keep them from having kids.
Overall, I believe that the Church’s stance on IVF, although it is intended to be true to Catholic teachings and morals, is probably counter-intuitive to the Church’s functional goals. The Church is trying to uphold the sanctity of marriage and of life, which is a good reason (from their point of view) to prohibit contraceptives or abortion. However, IVF, although it is not a completely natural way to conceive, actually as the goal of promoting life. You can definitely argue the other side, and The Church has its rational for prohibiting IVF, but I am going to talk about some of the social consequences that I think the Church’s position on IVF has.
First of all, the Church’s position on In Vitro Fertilization could have the social and identity consequence of alienating certain Catholics. If a young Catholic couple were to follow all of the teachings of the Church surrounding the morals of reproductions, and when the time came for them to want to have a child, they are unable to conceive, then they might feel alienated from the Church, because its teachings also prevent them from using alternative methods like IVF to have a child. The Church’s position seeks to prevent people form using the scientific resources that are available to them.
Also, there do not seem to be many (if any) scientific advances in the area of reproduction that the Catholic Church is ok with. To refer back to my original quote, the Church is against all methods that seek to prevent natural procreation. This distinct and immovable opinion can have the social consequence of alienating not just young Catholics, but groups on a larger scale. The Church’s stance seems to put it at odds with Science, and can help to deepen the idea that religion and science are incompatible. If, like we talked about in class, technologies like The Pill, or In Vitro Fertilization necessarily change us, then the Church seems to be putting itself firmly at odds with this change.
Link to the Church's View on IVF :http://www.westchesterinstitute.net/fellows/fellows-commentary/498
I really like your take on IVF. I never thought of it as a bad thing, since it is just trying to make reproduction possible between a man and a woman who aren't able to conceive. Since these babies aren't being conceived within the mother, are they even being considered human beings? The Pope explains that if it isn't between the man and the woman, that it isn't really considered true. But why then are they alive, are they alien babies? No, they just needed a little push start and then were put back into the mother to grow naturally. And what about surrogate moms? They can naturally conceive a child, but it is considered out of wedlock, even though it could be for a couple that is married? SO many different scientific methods are being created for this purpose of LIFE, not for death.
ReplyDelete