TThere was news this past week that the scientist who developed the technique of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) would receive a Nobel prize. However, IVF and some other forms of assisted fertility are contrary to Catholic teaching. This may puzzle some people who believe that Catholic teaching is to have as many children as possible.
A more correct statement would be that Catholics are to accept children as God gives them. Furthermore, Pope Paul VI declared in Humanae vitae that Catholic couples have a duty to plan their family size.
Children are indeed a gift from God, as any couple who has had difficulty conceiving a child will tell you. A child comes into being because God wills it, not because a person or a couple wants it. There are many techniques for working through issues of infertility that are consistent with Catholic teaching, but IVF is not one of them because in IVF many viable lives are aborted as part of the process.
A good resource that explains Catholic teaching on infertility treatment can be found at www.usccb.org/LifeGivingLove/.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
