Bible Questions and Answers
Published 03/05/2017
Our topic today is IVF and Christianity. How does the church view IVF, birth control and family planning? Is it possible for a Christian to plan his family in this way, or is IVF a sin?
Answer:
How does the church feel about IVF?
Church ministers are convinced that if a married couple does not have children, then it is God’s will. If a person decides to independently intervene in the process of conception, he will sin. At the same time, Orthodoxy does not prohibit the treatment of diseases that can lead to infertility.
According to the church, if a couple cannot have children, and the spouses cannot be cured of infertility, they need to reconcile themselves and perceive this as the will of the Lord and life’s purpose.
Church ministers advise couples who cannot have children to go to church more often, go to confession, and receive communion. You need to ask God every day to give you a child. You also need to ask for a baby from Xenia of St. Petersburg, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saint Matrona and Panteleimon the Healer. Prayer should be addressed to these saints before embryo transfer.
The prayer before IVF can be read at home in front of the icon. You can turn to your Guardian Angel for help. In the temple you need to place candles in front of the icons “Healer”, Seraphim of Diveyevo”, “Virgin Mother of Mammal” and “Unexpected Joy”. Remember to kneel after placing the candles.
Video on the topic:
Donation
The Orthodox Church is no less scrupulous about the use of donor cells for artificial insemination. A man's seminal fluid and a woman's egg contain a special genotype, which determines the appearance and character of the embryos - future children. Therefore, the church considers such fertilization sinful.
In addition, the use of someone else's biomaterial is an interference in the union of spouses. A child not born from the flesh of two loving spouses will not know his true biological parents. Depriving a child of the right to know his real parents is a sin.
Sin or not?
The clergy do not prohibit IVF. The only thing is that the husband’s biomaterial must be used for fertilization. This approach is not forbidden, since it is believed that such IVF is close to the natural relationship between spouses and such conception cannot violate the canons of marriage.
Another condition for sinless IVF is the number of embryos transferred. All embryos that were transferred must develop. That is, it is impossible to remove already established embryos.
The Church believes that if you do this, the child will be born at the expense of the lives of your unborn brothers or sisters. This is the main aspect of sin. All eggs that have been fertilized and from which embryos have emerged must receive the right to life; a person has no right to deprive them of life.
The full attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards IVF is fully disclosed in the “Fundamentals of the Social Concept”. This is an official document that discusses, among other things, issues of treatment and overcoming infertility, as well as attitudes towards IVF.
Surrogacy
The church also has a negative attitude towards IVF if someone else’s female body is used for the life and development of a fertilized egg. Donors in the form of surrogate mothers are considered morally unacceptable from an Orthodox point of view.
Orthodoxy is against a woman bearing someone else's child. After all, a close connection develops between them for 9 months, which will be interrupted by the “real” biological parents. Confusion between emotional attachments and genetic characteristics is unacceptable, therefore the church does not encourage the use of the female body as an “incubator” for genetic parents.
Reasons for negative attitude
Having a child is not the only purpose of marriage. If infertility occurs, spouses can take a child from an orphanage. Perhaps God sent this test for a reason.
The church's attitude towards IVF will be more negative if:
- IVF will be done by a single woman.
- Donor sperm will be used.
- Reduction (removal of embryos) will be applied.
- During cryopreservation.
If donor sperm is used during IVF, this will be regarded as third-party intervention. Such interference in the marriage union violates the integrity of the family. This encourages irresponsible fatherhood. The future biological father will not know that he has a child. The donor will not have the opportunity to participate in their child's life.
Also, when using donor biomaterial, the rights of the unborn child will be violated. The baby has the right to only parents. In the case of donation, the baby will have both social and biological parents.
A child must have two parents. This is the sacred right of the child in Orthodoxy. When using donor biomaterial, the child is deprived of one of his parents - this is a sin.
Cryopreservation is not allowed, as is the removal (killing) of unsuitable embryos. In Christianity, it is believed that at the moment of fertilization the birth of the soul already occurs. That is, when selecting the most viable embryos, infanticide occurs.
During reduction, excess embryos are removed, which prevents multiple pregnancies. Such an action is regarded by the church as abortion and infanticide. This is considered one of the most serious sins.
"Extra" embryos
The main reason for the “confrontation” between IVF and the church is artificially grown embryos. With this method of obtaining germ cells, fertilization is considered unnatural. And further “work” with genetic “material” is sinful. After all, after the embryos “grow” in a test tube, a geneticist selects them. Strong and viable zygotes are prepared for “replanting”. If there are a lot of them, then the rest is frozen to be used for a second course or as donor material. Weak embryos are destroyed.
Christians believe that when the sex cells of a man and a woman merge, a new life is born. A small, unborn person already has a soul, therefore the selection of embryos and their destruction should be considered a sin. This main reason why the church does not accept IVF has a deep moral meaning. The destruction of “weak” zygotes is equivalent to abortion: the deliberate destruction of a living being.
There is another aspect that the Orthodox consider sinful. Those embryos that are implanted into a woman’s uterus do not always survive. There are many reasons for this. However, according to church ministers, parents who agreed to participate in the “experiment” are always responsible for their death.
What does the church say about IVF?
Currently, the IVF procedure is developing very quickly. Today, technologies make it possible to prepare the required number of embryos without reducing or killing excess embryos. Excess embryos are placed in liquid nitrogen, which is how cryopreservation occurs.
This video explains when IVF is not a sin:
Cryopreservation allows embryos to be used at any time, in case of unsuccessful transfers, or for use as donor material for other couples. Church workers know situations where so many years have passed after cryopreservation that the parents have already died without using these embryos. Embryos have a soul and remain frozen for many years. According to the clergy, this is inhumane.
Church recommendations for infertile couples
Church ministers claim that the ability to have children directly depends on the will of God. The problem of infertility is associated with the sinful lifestyle of parents, reluctance to change and hope in the Almighty. It is important to remember to worship not the temple, but God!
In order not to use medical methods, but to get pregnant naturally, the Holy Fathers recommend adhering to the following advice:
- Prayers and icons have healing powers that heal the soul and body, so it is imperative to use them in case of infertility;
- Regular confession and communion are important for a Christian; with their help, peace of mind and confidence in one’s actions are achieved;
- If the couple has not yet formalized their union, this must be done as quickly as possible;
- In addition to formalizing a state marriage, it is concluded “in heaven” - they get married;
- In the absence of natural conception, the church recommends using all methods of treating infertility: traditional and medical.
Pregnancy and childbirth are special sacraments for which you need to prepare. The Church allows the use of healing of the body in some ways, but it believes that first of all attention should be paid to healing the soul. And this can only be done with the help of sincere prayer. You can pray in church or at home. Priests recommend saying the words of prayer for successful conception in front of the following icons of the Mother of God:
- Georgian;
- Modena;
- Fedorovskaya;
- Gracious;
- Baby jumping;
- Mammals.
The Church also approves of turning to the Saints for help:
- Anna the Prophetess;
- Matrona of Moscow;
- John of Kiev-Pechersk;
- Ksenia of Petersburg.
Motherhood is a reward for the beneficial life of the spouses. If nothing helps, clergy recommend turning to adoption.
"Children of the Underworld"
Church workers consider cryopreserved embryos to be “children from the afterlife.” Priests consider such children to be embryos transferred after freezing, when their biological parents have already died (the father or both parents in the case of donation). It is said that the children were orphaned even before being implanted into the uterine cavity of the expectant mother. The same is said if a wife, after the death of her husband, decides to give birth to his seed taken before death.
Surrogacy is also not accepted by the Russian Orthodox Church. This method is considered immoral, because during the gestation period a bond is formed between mother and baby, both physical and spiritual. After birth, the child is handed over to social parents. The child, in this case, is the object of sale and purchase. This is a grave sin.
Artificial insemination is negatively perceived by the church due to the fact that man takes on the function of God. A person tries to control everything and subordinate it to his desires.
IVF: the opinion of the church
In the modern world, more and more couples are faced with such a problem as infertility, so the method of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is beginning to gain great popularity. This assisted reproductive technology helps a woman become a mother even in seemingly the most hopeless cases. Indications for IVF treatment include many forms of female and male infertility that cannot be treated. But this method of treatment is relatively new, and many believing couples who do not have children are wondering whether they can be treated with IVF; is this not a sin?
How does IVF ?
The first stage is the stimulation of superovulation, i.e. a complex hormonal effect on a woman’s body in order to obtain the maturation of not one, but several eggs in order to increase the effectiveness of this treatment method.
The next stage is puncture of the ovaries to collect mature eggs, and collection of the spouse’s semen by masturbation.
Next, IVF is carried out directly: using the in vitro or ICSI method. In the first method, sperm are added to the nutrient medium, which naturally penetrates them and fertilizes them. With the ICSI method, sperm is “manually” inserted into the egg using a microneedle to fertilize an egg. After 2-5 days, the embryos are ready for the last stage of this treatment.
Well, the last stage is the transfer of embryos into the uterine cavity using a special catheter. Currently, no more than 3 embryos are usually transferred (usually 1 or 2). The remaining embryos are frozen in liquid nitrogen until the couple decides to use this treatment again.
The effectiveness of in vitro fertilization is approximately 30-35%, depending on the age of the infertile couple, the causes of infertility, and, of course, on the qualifications of doctors. According to doctors, childbirth during IVF pregnancy is no different from normal pregnancy, and children conceived in this way are no different from others.
IVF : opinion of the Orthodox Church
The position of the Russian Orthodox Church is reflected in the official document “Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church”:
“Artificial insemination with the husband’s reproductive cells may be considered an acceptable means of medical care, since it does not violate the integrity of the marital union, does not differ fundamentally from natural conception and occurs in the context of marital relations….
From an Orthodox point of view, all types of in vitro (out-of-body) fertilization that involve the procurement, preservation and deliberate destruction of “excess” embryos are also morally unacceptable. It is on the recognition of human dignity, even of an embryo, that the moral assessment of abortion, condemned by the Church, is based.”, as well as in a training manual for clergy released by the Department for Church Charity and Social Service of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2013: “Among ART technologies, the Church allows the use of intrauterine insemination ( IUI) with husband's sperm. The Church also allows out-of-body conception using IVF technology, subject to minimal or no stimulation, obtaining one, two or three embryos and transferring all of them, regardless of quality or quantity.”
That is, if we consider in detail the position of the Russian Orthodox Church, then in general the Church is not against IVF if such a conception does not violate the integrity of the marriage and several other aspects that are considered morally unacceptable and which we will consider in more detail:
1. The fate of unused embryos.
The most valuable thing in a person is his life and soul, therefore the Church condemns and equates the destruction of excess embryos to abortion; the transfer of such embryos for experiments or the manufacture of cellular products (stem cells, cosmetology, etc.) is also considered morally unacceptable.
2. Donation of genetic material.
Donation of germ cells violates the integrity of the individual and marital unity, as the exclusive and sacred union of two people, allowing the invasion of a third party, which is condemned by the Church. Only monogamy is acceptable by God, and participation in conception as a third party is morally unacceptable.
3. Surrogacy.
During pregnancy, a special spiritual connection is created between the child and the mother, because during this period they form a single whole. The surrogate mother, due to her close biological connection with the baby, becomes deeply attached to him, and the transfer of the born child to the “customers” mentally traumatizes her, which cannot but be condemned by the Church. Another problem with this method of bringing a baby into the family is that the child in this case is an object of purchase and sale, which is also morally unacceptable.
4. Reduction of excess embryos.
Reduction is the removal of one or more “extra” embryos in the case of multiple pregnancy, in simple words - abortion, which has been condemned by the Church since ancient times and is one of the most serious sins. The canonical rules equate abortion to murder, because the birth of the immortal soul of a little man is a gift from God, and from the moment of conception any attack on the life of a future human person is criminal.
So is it possible for a believing couple to be treated with IVF ?
It is important to understand that infertility is a disease, and the disease can be treated, because doctors act within the framework of the knowledge given to them by God. When treated with IVF, specialists only create favorable conditions for conception, and the origin of life itself was and remains exclusively a gift from God. Therefore, the decision to be treated with IVF or not is made by a believing married couple themselves, taking into account all aspects of treatment with this method that are unacceptable from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, as well as after consulting and asking for blessings from their spiritual mentor.
And at the end of the article I would like to touch upon another point: the Church has never denied or refused the baptism of children born using the IVF method, because all children, no matter what method they were born or conceived, are children of God.
Source: https://www.babyplan....h#ixzz3R3gkE5cD
Church opinion: a child must be the fruit of a marriage
Conceiving a child is a sacrament of a man and a woman, this is the position of the Church. If the Lord God sends many children, you should accept this gift - give birth and raise. If a married couple is childless, then the Creator gave such a cross to these people, and they must bear it.
Clergymen advise a childless couple to adopt a child
A married couple desperate to have a child of their own may resort to adoption. In this case, a person fulfills God’s commandment to love one’s neighbor.
After all, not having his own children, he takes orphans, children whose parents abandoned them, and accepts them as he would accept his own children.
If any physiological difficulties arise, spouses can contact doctors who will prescribe possible treatment methods. The Church does not prohibit this.
The Church’s opinion regarding infertile couples is a call to repentance, keeping God’s commandments and leading a righteous lifestyle.
Baptism of eco-children
IVF children have the right to enter the church regardless of the method of artificial insemination they were born through. If a priest does not baptize children, refusing children entry into the church, he himself commits a grave sin.
According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, children are not responsible for the actions of their parents. Refusal to baptize babies is deprivation of the natural and very important rights of babies. Therefore, if you had to face a similar situation, then do not be upset. Contact another church, where your baby will definitely receive the sacrament of baptism.
