Pro Life Infertility Specialists

by Pattie Hughes | More from this Blogger

02 Mar 2007 02:45 PM

I am writing this blog in response to a private message I received from a families.com member. She asked about finding a fertility specialist that is pro life. This is an interesting question, so I spent this morning in search of some answers.

Many Christians feel conflicted when undergoing treatments for infertility, especially assisted reproductive technologies. One concern is clinics fertilizing more eggs than can be used in a single cycle. Since Christians believe these souls are living human beings, most worry about the ethics surrounding the procedures.

Another issue is the use of selective reduction by many infertility clinics. This procedure is often done when too many fertilized eggs implant in the woman's uterus. When there are too many embryos, the woman is at risk of losing all of them. For this reason, a few are selected for removal, which allows the pregnancy to continue.

Many religions take issue with these practices. It is for this reason that many religions, for example the Catholic Church are against assisted reproductive technologies. The Pro Life Alliance wants all assisted reproductive technologies outlawed in the United States. This would include IVF, GIFT, ZIFT and other procedures.

When you are interviewing reproductive endocrinologists, ask questions to determine if their philosophy fits with your religious beliefs. In many cases, you can have only the eggs that will be used in the current cycle fertilized. Have no more than two embryos implanted in any cycle to avoid conceiving too many children. This would eliminate the need for both freezing and selective reduction.

If your doctor's practices don't mesh with your religious beliefs, consider looking for a pro life doctor. These can be difficult to find, since most reproductive endocrinologists use these procedures on a daily basis. You can try asking your pastor or priest, calling a Catholic hospital or searching online. Many pro life organizations keep databases of pro life physicians and may be able to direct you to an appropriate doctor in your area.

Related Articles:

What is In Vitro Fertilization?

Finding the Right Infertility Specialist

When to Seek Help Getting Pregnant

Learn more about Pattie Hughes

Pattie Hughes is a freelance writer and mother of four young children. She and her husband have been married since 1992. Pattie holds a degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University.

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Lisa P (24013) 03 Mar 2007 07:12 AM

Good information! Thank you.

CaliCook (35) 06 Mar 2007 04:53 PM

Thank you for your article! Good information.

On the pro-life stance on IUI and GIFT though, I read an article from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that stated "Because the teaching authorities of the Churchâ€"the Pope and bishopsâ€"have not made a judgment about GIFT, Catholic couples are free to choose it or reject it depending on the guidance of their own conscience."

The link to his article is: http://www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/98rlphaa.shtml

There's an article written in Feb. 2006 by the USCCB that also addresses this at: http://www.usccb.org/prolife/treatment.shtml

I should stress that I don't know if the Catholic Church has come out with a position on GIFT or IUI since the last article - but I thought someone might find this interesting.

Thanks again!!

Pattie Hughes (7652) 06 Mar 2007 07:01 PM

Thanks for the great information. When I was going through infertility treatments, the Church was o.k. with IUI, if it was the husband's sperm. It was in our case. That was 8 years ago and luckily the IU worked for us. I hadn't seen the stance on GIFT.