Reactionary legislation is being considered in Congress that may make health plans that cover most American workers provide coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF). This could be concerning for Christians and Christian employers.
A bill introduced by Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Sen. Cory Booker would require coverage for IVF for infertile heterosexual couples as well as same-sex couples and transgender employees. The bill also includes coverage for medical costs related to surrogacy, including commercial surrogacy.
Despite proponents of IVF and the bill claiming it's pro-family and pro-life, religious employers are worried because only about 10 percent of lab-created embryos survive. IVF procedures treat embryos as commodities to satisfy the needs of adults, often resulting in many embryos not surviving the freezing or thawing process or the transfer to the mother's or surrogate's uterus.
Expanding IVF insurance would support an industry that exploits, harms, and endangers the poor and vulnerable, contradicting the values of Christ.
This industry expands the commercial surrogacy market and uses the wombs of poor women, often from nonwhite or developing countries. IVF facilities and sperm banks purchase pornography to obtain sperm, while eggs are harvested from low-income women after being injected with carcinogenic hormones.
Eugenics contradicts Christian beliefs about the dignity of every human life. The IVF industry normalizes the selection of sperm and eggs based on attractiveness, IQ, academic achievement, and race. Embryos are screened and some are destroyed while others face selective reduction if multiple embryos are implanted.
Freezing embryos indefinitely and potential custody battles when parents break up or divorce raise concerns about the pro-life nature of IVF. There have been documented cases, including those involving celebrity couples.
An Alabama case involving a stranger breaking into an IVF storage facility and damaging embryos has heightened concerns about the industry's lack of pro-life values.
[READ: Understanding The Implications Of The Alabama Supreme Court’s Decision On Frozen Embryos For The Fertility Industry]
Kids have a right to know and be raised by their biological parents. When that’s not possible due to death, abuse, or neglect, society mourns with the child and works to create a caring alternative through foster care and adoption. Is it pro-life to intentionally create children without a mother or father to meet the desires of adults who may not be related? Yet, this is the common practice in the IVF industry – intentionally making children with only one parent while prioritizing the wants of a single parent or same-sex couple over a child’s natural right to both parents. by design Christians are dedicated to safeguarding children, but what about the predators who find ways to carry out their sexual abuse and deception? Whether it’s single men creating IVF babies for the purpose of sexual abuse or doctors using their own sperm instead of the intended fathers’, the lack of regulation and oversight in this industry poses a threat to any child’s well-being.
Ultimately, the IVF industry supports the abortion industry by promoting the cultural attitude that gives people god-like power over life and death. I have personally experienced the pain and loss of infertility. However, sometimes our attempts to stop suffering end up causing more suffering. There is very little scientific research into the root causes of infertility, including the reproductive toxins manufactured by large corporations. Their pursuit of profit ensures a steady customer base for the fertility industry, and this partnership has no interest in healed bodies, redeemed suffering, or pro-life families who do not rely on them. The IVF industry supports the abortion industry by promoting the cultural attitude that gives people god-like power over life and death., or the freakish IVF doctors who use their own sperm to create dozens of their own children instead of the intended fathers’, the lack of regulation and oversight of this industry is a threat to any child’s well-being.
Ultimately, the IVF industry enables the abortion industry by feeding the cultural entitlement to God-like powers over life and death. I know firsthand the grief and loss of infertility. But sometimes the price of our misguided attempts to end suffering creates far more suffering than it solves. There is remarkably little scientific research into the root causes of infertility, including the reproductive toxins being manufactured by Big Food, Big Chemical, Big Plastic, and Big Pharma. Their profiteering guarantees a steady customer base for Big Fertility, and this unholy alliance has no use for healed bodies, suffering redeemed, and pro-life families who don’t need them.
Bills like the Marshall-Booker insurance mandate and many others now being considered in the wake of the Alabama IVF case must be seen for what they are: aid and comfort to a greedy and exploitative industry trying to hide behind the good name and moral high ground of the pro-life movement.
