|
Why Can’t Science Help Infertile Couples?
Fr. Greg Shaffer
answers tough questions. (Fr. Greg Shaffer is the currently under
attack by homosexual activist at George Washington University for
defending the Churches teaching on homosexuality. Full story here 
 In Vitro Fertilization: A Catholic Viewpoint.
Question: “Most people are quite clear on the
Church’s strong stance against preventing pregnancy via artificial means
(the use of contraceptives v. natural family planning). The Church
takes an equally strong stance against artificial means of CAUSING
pregnancy, such as IVF or the use of donor sperm. This stance is
consistent with the concept that a child is a gift, but it gets
considerably less press. It’s one thing to speak out in defense of life,
but another to tell people that having a child isn’t an entitlement.”
Fr. Greg Shaffer’s answer: Years ago, I had a
memorable discussion about in vitro fertilization (IVF) with some
Catholic friends. One of my friends was questioning the relevance of the
Church’s teaching against in vitro fertilization. I made the point that
this type of fertilization goes against not only the procreative end of
marriage (procreation is to be done naturally – as God intends -not
artificially) but also the unitive end (union takes place outside of the
man and woman, and in a laboratory).
My friend basically said, “so what? I’ve heard this
before and it really doesn’t bother me. If people want to have a baby
and science can help, who cares about the procreative and unitive ends?
Is this the biggest reason why IVF is wrong?”
I responded by asking her if she was aware that
normally it takes several embryos to be implanted in the woman’s uterus
in order for one to be born (as explained below), and that the other
embryos are often destroyed. This means that for every baby that is born
through IVF, at least one – and often several – is discarded or
destroyed. My friend said, “I did not know that”. Almost immediately,
she became vehemently opposed to IVF. Praise God!
We addressed this and other reproductive issues in
the post from May 16, 2007, “Reproductive Technology”. Below is an
excerpt from the article referenced in that post which specifically
addresses and describes IVF.
IVF (In Vitro Fertilization):
Conception occurs outside the body–”in a glass.”
Ordinarily, the woman is treated with hormones to
stop her natural cycle and stimulated to ripen a number of ova. The ova
are harvested from the follicle with a needle under ultrasonic guidance.
The needle is inserted either through the vagina or abdomen. Ova are
incubated in the laboratory with a carefully washed and adjusted
specimen of semen to allow fertilization. Prior to implantation in the
woman’s uterus, embryos are examined in order to select the “best.”
Sometimes, one cell is removed for genetic testing. To date, visual
inspection of the embryos has been totally unrelated to their subsequent
course–health or otherwise. Usually at least two embryos are implanted;
in some centers, as many as four are implanted with the hope of getting
at least one live baby. At times, three or four embryos thrive. Some
clinics then offer the mother “embryo reduction” (selective abortion) to
allow only one or two fetuses to develop further.
Because the endometrium is considerably changed by
the stimulation of ovaries to produce eggs, it is the practice in some
centers to freeze the embryos and to implant them in a subsequent
natural cycle. Overall success rates in terms of having a living child
range from 16-20%. The disposition of frozen embryos varies with the
wishes of the parents. “Spare embryos” may either be preserved, donated
to other women or to researchers, or destroyed.
|
