Are in vitro fertility treatments ethical?

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Overview

Infertility disheartens many marriages and can cause deep pain. In almost every church are couples who desperately want to get pregnant but cannot.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a grueling and costly fertility treatment, but it has enabled many infertile couples to conceive. It seems to be an extraordinary medical breakthrough—and an answer to many desperate prayers. But as John Van Regenmorter cautions in a CHRISTIANITY TODAY article, many IVF patients leave behind excess embryos. As a result, more than 400,000 frozen embryos currently lie in storage. If we believe life begins at conception, Van Regenmorter asks, is it ethical to go through IVF? If so, what do we do with those extra embryos?

Table of Contents

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:26–28; 9:1–7; 25:20–21; Psalm 127:4–5; 139:15–16; Matthew 18:14; Mark 9:36–37

LEADER'S GUIDE

    • Identify the Current Issue

    • Discover the Eternal Principles

—Teaching point one: God wants us to be blessed with children.

—Teaching point two: In God’s eyes, there are no unwanted children.

—Teaching point three: Working against infertility is consistent with God’s will.

—Teaching point four: God’s breath of life is present in every embryo.

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