The Church venerates the dignity of human life to such a degree that it even values the way in which a human life is conceived.  This stems from the idea of God given authority and Divine authority.  In the Book of Genesis, God gives Adam authority over the plants and the animals on the earth (Gen.1:28-30).  This authority allows people the right to own animals as pets, enslave them as beasts of burden and kill them for food, clothing or other legitimate benefits for ourselves.  But this authority does not extend to other human beings.  In fact, to own, enslave or kill another human is considered immoral and criminal according to Christian theology.  To be directly involved in the creation of something is to exercise absolute authority over what is created in the same way that destroying something is an exercise of absolute authority.  The authority that some humans have over others is always limited.  For example, although parents have the rights to tell their children what to do and punish them for being disobedient, it is immoral for a parents to murder their children.  Absolute authority over humans has never been given to other humans.  God only gave humans the authority to participate in the creation of other humans through the natural act of sexual intimacy sanctified within the bond of marriage.  IVF is a procedure in which the doctor literally “plays God”, assuming authority that was never given to any person.  It is unwarranted to assume this authority simply because of the fact that the technology is available.  It would be like assuming that euthanasia is acceptable simply because we have the technology to make death painless.

     Many Catholic ethicists and theologians believe that IVF has opened the doors to many other medical procedures which allow medical professionals to “play God” for the perceived benefit of others.  Since the dawn of IVF and other reproductive technologies, selective abortions is now considered an ethical practice for women expecting multiple births (many resulting from current reproductive technologies).  Not having selective abortions in cases like these is considered immoral by many medical professionals.   Medical ethicists are currently discussing the possibility of gene manipulation for embryos so that they will grow tall and strong and have a hair color chosen by their parents.  Stem cell research on “discarded” human embryos is currently being practiced in various countries throughout the world including the United States.  This all points to the fact that the “Give them an inch, they’ll take a mile” concept is operative, except for the fact that the initial “inch” was never given to anyone.

     Many married couples place their hope in IVF for the possibility of having children.  The Church’s moral principles dictate that an evil means for a perceived good end is never warranted ethically (Catechism of the Catholic Church no.1789), but there are married Catholics who decide to use the procedure anyway.  There are other members of the Church who have decided to remain faithful to the Magisterium, living either without children or deciding to choose the alternative of adoption.  These couples are bearing the weight of their crosses, realizing that somehow God’s grace is allowing them to use their cross as a source of grace and inspiration for themselves and others.
 
 

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