Assisted Reproduction
...is against the divine authority of God. Why the issue raises ‘ethical’ questions for Catholics “I formed you in the womb, I knew you and before you were born, I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5). On this scripture Pope John Paul 2 commented that “the life of every individual, from its very beginning, is part of God’s plan…” God plans every human beings even before they are born, and creates in the image of himself. But the artificially assisting reproduction technique contradicts this statement for the children are planned and designed by their parents not by God. What will be the effect of human beings if they are created and designed by other humans not by God? Catholics believe that human procreation is a sacred and conjugal act which takes place between a married couple under the grace of God. Life should be created between a couple who are committed to each other and who are responsible to care for the life which is the result of their love. But if one man could become the biological father of a hundred children, how will concepts of parenthood be affected? This issue raises the questions- Do human beings have the right to create the ‘perfect baby’? Do people have the right to have children? Should human life be created outside normal procreation? The Catholic Church’s response to Assisted Reproduction Catholics believe that God is the creator of all life and that human procreation is a sacred and a marital act between a couple under the grace of God. Every life comes from God, therefore it is sacred and humans do not have rights to kill lives or to create lives. This means that taking part in the human reproduction process in artificial ways such as IVF is a challenge to the ultimate authority of God. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is the only moral framework for human reproduction. Marriage and the bond between the couple are the only venue worthy of truly responsible procreation. Thus, the involvement of the third party (donation of semen or ovum) in the process of procreation is opposed to the exclusivity that is demanded of a married couple. In this sense, IVF is the mirror image of contraception which suppresses the procreative meaning of birth. Even though the Catholic church doesn’t believe in the idea of assisted reproduction, it has a firm belief that every life is precious, so it will still accept the people who are born through the IVF or ART as the children and the believers of God. The evidence of this teachin...