In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

Thursday, April 17, 2025

"One man stated, 'I was conceived through IVF; I am fully against it. I was conceived alongside eight of my siblings. I’m the only survivor.'" Children conceived by IVF are precious. But IVF is still unethical. - Them Before Us

"In vitro fertilization, also called IVF, is a complex series of procedures that can lead to a pregnancy. It's a treatment for infertility, a condition in which you can't get pregnant after at least a year of trying for most couples. IVF also can be used to prevent passing on genetic problems to a child.

"During in vitro fertilization, mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilized eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, which is where babies develop. One full cycle of IVF takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer.

"In vitro fertilization is the most effective type of fertility treatment that involves the handling of eggs or embryos and sperm. Together, this group of treatments is called assisted reproductive technology." In vitro fertilization (IVF) - Mayo Clinic

Sounds innocuous, right? Actually, IVF is fraught with ethical problems. 

For a brief explanation of some of the issues involved, watch this interview: Katy Faust Explains The Ethical Problems with IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) (interview starts about one minute into the video.)

More from ThemBeforeUs.com: "I recently had a conversation with a fellow Christian about Trump’s Executive Order to reduce barriers to accessing in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. This discussion revealed to me that many people, even in Christian churches, seem confused about the ethical dilemmas surrounding IVF. This is unsurprising, as some politicians who oppose abortion have also championed IVF, blurring the line between ethical and unethical reproductive procedures.

"Should 'safeguarding' IVF really be the goal?

The White House recently tweeted that Trump’s EO will 'safeguard' IVF and 'lower costs… for American families.'

"The U.S. government has an obligation to uphold the common good, but officeholders striving to make it more affordable to access a procedure that experiments with and treats as disposable the lives of millions of human beings annually — IVF — means that they are failing to uphold the welfare of our most vulnerable fellow citizens.

"One question that must be asked is whether IVF can actually be considered 'fertility care' at all since the procedure only masks the underlying issues of infertility instead of healing them." Children conceived by IVF are precious. But IVF is still unethical. - Them Before Us

"A seemingly innocuous in vitro fertilization approach that has been embraced by conservative lawmakers in multiple states is to propose bills that clarify that the 'right' to IVF is protected in state law. Unlike more sweeping bills, like the one in Nevada that explicitly states that IVF embryos will never be recognized as persons or unborn children under state law, bills proposed in Georgia and Tennessee are brief and do not contain explicitly anti-life language.

"However, simply labeling IVF as a 'right' carries implications that these legislators are likely unaware of. Here’s what pro-life, pro-family legislators (and their constituents) need to know about 'right to IVF' bills.

1. If your state’s personhood law ‘threatens’ IVF, the problem is the industry, not the law.

2. A ‘right’ to IVF allows the redefinition of the family.

3. This legislation closes the door to future regulations."

For elaboration on these points, go to What Republican Legislators Get Wrong about ‘Right to IVF’ Bills - Them Before Us

"Children are precious and worthy of life and love no matter how they’re conceived, whether it be out of wedlock, through rape, IVF, etc., and no parents should regret the existence of their children. However, this doesn’t mean that every practice that brought them into existence is, therefore, automatically ethical." --Katie Breckenridge

Let's choose the ethical High Road for the glory of our worthy Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Your fellow learner,

Juanita 

"Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:16 (ESV)

Disclaimer: I don't necessarily endorse other links shared on the sites I link.

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Preview YouTube video Katy Faust Explains The Ethical Problems with IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)

Katy Faust Explains The Ethical Problems with IVF (In Vitro Fertilizatio

Lifelines #10: Surrogacy—The Wild West of Human Reproduction

Saturday, July 19, 2025 

The early days of westward expansion into the U.S. frontier are infamously known as the Wild West. This was because of the lack of law and order that characterized that time when outlaws reigned and "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." Currently, "[i]n the United States there is no national regulation of surrogacy and its fifty states constitute a patchwork quilt of policies and laws, ranging from outright bans to no regulation."  Surrogacy - The Center for Bioethics & Culture Network (More information on surrogacy and the issues surrounding it can be found at the preceding link.)

Ever since the days of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, surrogacy has been victimizing women and causing long-term harm to children.

Surrogacy is alive and well in our world today. Recently, law enforcement discovered a couple in California who, under false pretenses, were recruiting women to act as surrogates. The women were told about nonexistent couples who wanted a child. Once the children were born, the babies were taken to a home where they were kept, waiting to be taken to China. The situation is described in this article:  Surrogacy agency labeled 'national security threat'

While not all instances of surrogacy are this chilling, they all share some common problems. Since In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is often used, the ethical issues accompanying IVF apply to surrogacy as well. In addition, the women who act as surrogates suffer the trauma of being separated from the child they carried, and the children suffer the trauma of being separated from their birth mother (see Surrogacy agency labeled 'national security threat'). If there are other children in the home of the surrogate, they also suffer the trauma of separation from a baby that they learned to love while that baby was in utero. When the children carried by surrogate mothers learn of their birth story, they find themselves struggling with a lack of knowing their true identity. These consequences of surrogacy can plague the victims for the rest of their lives. Offered money for their 'service,' the women who agree to act as surrogates aren't informed of the long-term emotional trauma they and the children will endure.

Should these problems be ignored?

Lack of consistent regulations in this industry also opens the door to untold possibilities of abuse of women and children. Considering human depravity, the sky's the limit when it comes to how people could employ this means for selfish ends. Please pray with me for the end of this "wild, wild West" and for the many who have been negatively impacted by it.

Your fellow advocate for the oppressed,

Juanita

"Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God." Psalm 7:9 (ESV)

Disclaimer: I don't necessarily endorse any other links shared on the sites I link.

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Many people today would like to have children but struggle with infertility. Concerned medical professionals desire to assist these people and are developing increasingly sophisticated methods, referred to as Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). These professionals combine innovation and accessibility to offer hope to infertile people.

Various types of ART are either currently in use or are under development. When sperm is placed directly into the uterus, the doctor is employing Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) creates fertilized embryos in a lab outside of the body. Some of these embryos are then placed in a woman’s uterus. Sometimes donors other than the prospective baby’s parent(s) provide the eggs, sperm, or embryos. In surrogacy the aspiring parent(s) hire a woman to carry the baby for them. Currently, researchers are also exploring ways to reprogram skin cells to become egg cells. ART offers promise of parenthood to many who wouldn’t otherwise have this opportunity outside of adoption.

While these technologies offer promise to those who might otherwise remain childless, we dare not overlook ethical implications. God’s design for marriage includes reproduction as part of the one-flesh relationship, and ART removes reproduction from this context. It opens the door to all kinds of aberrations in violation of God’s design. For instance, tiny humans are destroyed, frozen, or used for experimentation. Additionally, children sought through ART become commodities, and if they survive, often suffer emotional and physical harm that can affect them for their entire lives. Disturbingly, people God never intended to be parents can acquire children.

While every child conceived is an image-bearer of God and is a gift, not every method of conception is morally acceptable. Biblically married couples should seek other ways to address infertility that solve the underlying problems rather than deviating from God’s design. Children thrive when they grow up in the security of a loving home where they know who their parents are.

May we never fear to take a stand where God's truth is at stake.

Striving together with you in prayer and action,

Juanita

"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Psalm 118:6

To investigate addressing infertility by solving underlying problems, visit the website of the Institute of Restorative Reproductive Medicine of America here: Home | Institute of Restorative Reproductive Medicine of America

For more insight into the surrogacy industry, watch this expose from The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network: #BigFertility

To gain an insight into IVF from the perspective of those who have been there and are now opposed, watch this video from Live Action: IVF Doctors and Parents Who Conceived Using IVF Share Their Regrets

For a brief overview of how this issue affects children, check the fast facts at Them Before Us here: Fast Facts - Them Before Us

Disclaimer: I don't necessarily endorse other links shared on the sites I link.