Fertility Treatment Right or Wrong?

What is Fertility Treatment? Also called Assisted Conception. Many different kinds. –IVF –IUI –GIFT, etc. Includes anything that helps couples to conceive

Why have fertility treatment? There are a number of reasons why a couple may need help conceiving. This may be due to male or female infertility, or a combination of both.

What happens during IVF? For IVF, the woman is given drugs to encourage her ovaries to release eggs. This can result in multiple pregnancies. The eggs are harvested (collected) and the man provides a sperm sample (unless donor sperm is used). The sperm is used to fertilise the eggs in a Petri dish.

So what happens when the egg is fertilised? The fertilised eggs are left to develop into embryos. When they are at the eight cell stage, viable embryos are implanted into the woman’s uterus. Spare embryos can be frozen for future attempts or donated to other couples. Sometimes they are destroyed.

What do Christians say about it? Some Christians (especially Roman Catholics) say it is wrong because: –If God intended the couple to have children then it would happen naturally. Hannah had no children…because the Lord had closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:2,6) –Only God can create life. People should not mess with it. –Some of these methods allow for donor eggs or sperm. This is wrong, as children should be the product of a marriage. This is introducing a third person.

Do all Christians agree? No, some Christians think fertility treatment is acceptable. They say that God has given people the ability to create this technology so we should use it. Others say it is a great kindness to help people to have children, so we should do it. So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

What happens to spare embryos? This is what Christians have a problem with. –Some embryos are destroyed; if life starts at conception, then this is murder. –Embryos can be donated; some Christians disagree with this. –Embryos can be used for experimentation (eg. Stem cells). This also involves destroying them.