By Mandy Cox
Among the many topics being discussed at the state and federal level lately, in-vitro fertilization is one that is particularly relevant to Catholics, even though the Church’s teaching on it isn’t well-known.
On the surface, this seems like a positive development in a culture that promotes death, as St. John Paul the Great has described our age. These technologies promise to heal the heartbreak faced by couples who desire children but can’t conceive for various reasons. However, a deeper analysis of the procedures used in artificial reproductive technologies reveals that they present many ethical challenges.
Catholic organizations have a moral responsibility to ensure that their health benefits programs facilitate life-affirming care and avoid cooperation with evil, especially as mandated coverage of IVF and other procedures involving artificial reproduction procedures gain traction around the country.
IVF and its Connection to Abortion
Advocates of IVF have adopted language that promotes it as a “right” for those desiring a child. Well-meaning families, friends, and even faith leaders have sometimes joined this effort and promoted IVF as the solution for those suffering from infertility. But what they often miss or are unaware of is the numerous violations of the God-given dignity of the embryonic children conceived not in their mother’s womb but in a sterile petri dish.
IVF is expensive. To reduce the cost, medical providers create multiple embryos in a single cycle of IVF, often 8 or more embryos. These embryos are created by a lab technician and grow in the lab during their early days of life, with some dying along the way.
After this initial phase, the couple now faces the decision of how many and which embryonic children they will transfer to the mother’s womb. Many parents are surprised with the decisions they face:
-
Which embryos are desired and which should be discarded?
-
What should they do with the “extra” embryos?
-
Do they want genetic testing done on the embryos to select those with their desired traits or the greatest viability?
-
Do they want their children destroyed if they test poorly?
Following these decisions, the next decision is how many embryos will be transferred. The primary consideration used to determine how many embryos to transfer is the mother’s age or underlying conditions. The older the mother, the more embryos are transferred in a single round of IVF. Even when a single embryo is transferred, there is a higher chance of that embryo splitting into twins.
Couples undergoing IVF have a 30% chance of a pregnancy with multiple embryos. These pregnancies carry their own risks. “Almost 60% of twins and 90% of triplets are delivered preterm, and maternal complications are notably higher, with the risk of maternal death being nearly four times more prevalent in twin pregnancies.” LINK
Therefore, if the couple learns they are expecting multiple babies, they face a new pressureto consider selective abortion, commonly referred to as “pregnancy reduction.” Many couples seeking IVF consider themselves to be pro-life, but find themselves facing pressure to abort one child or more in hopes of increasing the odds of survival for at least one child.
Another immoral aspect of IVF is that so-called extra embryos are placed in cryogenic storage until a time when their parents think they are ready to use IVF again. This placing of embryonic children in a suspended state between life and death is a serious offense to their God-given dignity. Consistent numbers are hard to find, but some estimates say that around 1 million embryos are currently frozen in the U.S.
This process is with fraught with moral issues, knowing that life begins at conception and that every embryo bears the image and likeness of God. If IVF is covered in health plans, it will only result in this immoral situation growing exponentially.
Paying for a Place to Grow
Infertility is deeply painful, and our hearts go out to couples suffering under its weight. However, IVF, especially when promoted as a universal “right,” opens the door to practices that challenge the sanctity of life and the integrity of the family.
Consider this: individuals or couples who cannot carry a child—whether due to physical limitations or social status—often turn to surrogacy, a practice that is largely unregulated in the United States.
What could social status mean?
-
A single person, whether male or female, who desires a child but is “infertile” due to not being in a relationship
-
A same-sex couple who are “infertile” because they lack the reproductive organs necessary for creating life
-
An adult who is rendered medically infertile as a consequence of gender mutilations procedures or cross-sex hormones
At the same time that demand for a “right” to IVF gains momentum in state legislatures, many Americans, including Catholics, do not understand that IVF coverage will be extended to these circumstances.
Turning to the surrogacy, the ethical challenges only multiply. What is often portrayed as a heroic act offered for a close relative has morphed into an industry of surrogacy.
The implications are staggering:
-
Whose body is being used, and at what cost?
-
If the surrogate faces medical complications, does she retain the right to make decisions about her own body—including whether to carry or terminate the pregnancy?
-
What happens if the commissioning parents abandon the child?
These are not hypotheticals. These are real legal cases that are working through the legal system with real children at stake. When we reduce life to commodity and treat the womb of a woman as a rentable space, we are not honoring God’s design for motherhood, nor respecting the dignity of women created in His image.
The Silent Reality: IVF and the Destruction of Embryos
Who Bears the Burden—Ethically and Financially?
As IVF becomes more mainstream, practical questions arise that have theological significance:
-
If IVF is covered by insurance, who pays for the storage and care of frozen embryos?
-
What happens to abandoned embryos—do insurance companies decide their fate?
-
Will this create a marketplace where embryos are bought and sold, particularly to same-sex couples or single men seeking parenthood apart from God’s design for family?
-
If egg donors face health complications, who carries the cost and responsibility?
These scenarios raise concerns about stewardship, justice, and the creation of an industry that sells both life and the female body. They also highlight how the reproductive industry, in its current form, often treats human beings as products to be ordered, selected, and discarded.
A Time for Pastoral Clarity
As IVF becomes a required benefit under health plans in certain states—like Colorado—it’s no longer a private decision; it’s a societal one. And it demands a pastoral response.
We are not called to condemn those who suffer from infertility. We are called to walk with them in love and prayer, pointing them to a God who sees, who provides, and whose timing is perfect. But being compassionate does not mean compromising God’s plan for human flourishing. We must be willing to name the moral cost of technologies that violate the sanctity of life and the God-given structure of the family. We must also be ready to guide them to life-affirming health care.
A Final Word
IVF is not just a medical technique—it has spiritual consequences. As leaders, we need to speak about this reality and explain it to our employees. We need to advocate for policies that protect life at every stage, for ethical clarity in medical practice, and for a renewed cultural vision of fertility that honors God’s design.
If your state is contemplating requiring IVF coverage, reach out to CBA. We are working with state Catholic Conferences and other leaders to assist in preparing testimony materials or letters to legislators.
Now more than ever, the Church must speak—not with fear, but with faith and wisdom. The future of life, family, and Christian witness depends on it.