On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
If the Church is against birth control, why does it oppose in vitro and other forms of artificial insemination and surrogate births?
Catholics acknowledge the heartache and grieving of those who are unable to conceive naturally, especially those who entered into marriage lovingly and
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equally committed to bringing children into the world and raising them in a manner that pleases God.
We also believe children have rights—to be born into a home of a father and a mother, a father and mother they know and love, in good times and in bad. Surrogacy and artificial insemination involving third parties can deprive children of these rights.
The Church does find acceptable gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), which resembles in vitro fertilization, but is considered less efficient; surgeries for the husband or wife to remove blockages; and increasing the number of eggs produced by the use of drugs.
Adoption of course is also an option. Catholic Charities and other service organizations can be a good place to begin that search.
What about a man and woman who have tried everything possible to conceive naturally, but still can’t have conceive or adopt? The Catechism reminds us that “a child is not something owed to one, but is a gift.” In vitro fertilization in essences makes the power of medical technology superior to our respect for natural conception, and that’s a dangerous shift to make. Please talk with a priest about the specifics of your situation before turning away in despair—or proceeding down a path without full knowledge of how the Church teachings relate to where you are.
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