We had the opportunity to hear Fr. Tad (he has a much longer first and last name) lecture about IVF and all of its variations at the recent CCL Convention in Green Lake Wisconsin. Fr. Tad is a young, dynamic priest who has garnered a lot of respect for his work, education, and training in moral ethics especially with regard to life issues including end of life, In-Vitro Fertilization, reproductive technologies, and other matters.
Did you know that about 20% of all American babies born today have been "artificially reproduced" via IVF and its sister technologies? All of these efforts disrupt the inherent dignity of giving birth to babies generated "naturally". During IVF procedures, both parents allow themselves to be used in order to "get" a baby - as if it is their inherent right to have/own one. Likewise the newly fertilized human person is manipulated into being which poses far greater dangers to his/her future well being, survival, life and personal dignity. Furthermore, the IVF technologies promote the practice of creating "designer babies"; this was the subject of an earlier blog. Over a half million fertilized eggs still lie "dormant" and frozen in "test tubes" around the US awaiting someone's decision about whether to allow them to be thawed out and implanted in someone's uterus, adopted, used for scientific research, purposes, or discarded.
So how is IVF linked to paying for college? Did you know that Ivy League women are currently targeted by IVF technology - related companies to donate their "fresh, young, superior DNA eggs" to egg banks. These egg banks then use the "donated" eggs for IVF - to create "test tube babies". The term- donated eggs - is completely disingenuous since most egg donors are paid over $5K to $100K for every cycle that they allow themselves to be hormonally "hyper-stimulated"; technologists are then able to harvest multiple eggs/person/cycle in order to produce designer babies for the couples experiencing infertility. Notice, only "superior", Ivy League donors are sought after; companies do not need the average- run of the mill, female attending mid-western colleges! And so everyone's dignity is insulted by the philosophy behind IVF!
While this is a very "common" procedure, there is nothing ethical about it says Fr. Tad. The Catholic Church teaches that every baby has the right to be conceived, protected, carried, and nourished within the body of his/her mother. While there are naturally ethical ways to help infertile couples, IVF is not one of those means.
