One Voice for Public Policy - Begotten, Not Made

An LCMS pastor, who is a friend of mine, often says that he envisions his sermons like a father pulling up a chair to the kitchen table and saying, “Family? We need to talk about something important.”

Missouri? We need to talk about In Vitro Fertilization or “IVF.”

IVF is a procedure that involves fertilizing an egg with sperm outside of the human body. The term “in vitro” is Latin for “in glass.” In this case, a baby at its earliest stages is formed outside of the mother’s womb.

Typically, IVF is sought out by couples struggling with infertility, and IVF is presented as an option by medical professionals and perhaps even Christian clergy as a “pro-life” option. IVF can also be used by those who want to screen for genetic abnormalities, plan to use surrogacy (a procedure through which a third-party female carries the baby of a paying couple), or are attempting to preserve their fertility and postpone pregnancy, and even by homosexual couples who do not have the genetic material necessary to create, carry, and birth a baby as they are missing a critical gamete.

2% of babies born today are the result of IVF, and this percentage is likely to grow as our culture continues to play fast and loose with ideas of life and how it can and should be created. It’s accurate to assume that there are people in our pews, and even our pulpits, who are using this process or are the result of this process. Perhaps even doing so with the encouragement of an LCMS pastor.

Also troubling has been the embrace of IVF as “pro-family” by both major political parties. This is a not-so-thinly veiled attempt to appeal to everyone who desires to have a family but may not be able to.

Recently, the Lutheran Witness published two excellent articles, one by Dr. Donna Harrison which addresses the issue of IVF from a medical perspective and another by Scott Stiegemeyer discussing the theology that informs this issue. I commend both to your immediate reading.

In the first article, Dr. Harrison concludes that there are two views that faithful Lutherans could hold in good conscience on this topic. The first is opposing IVF as it removes the creation of a child from the context of the marital act. The second position is that IVF may be permitted in a way that respects the humanity of the embryo and is only done in the context of marriage with the biological parents’ gametes and “precludes the freezing of embryos, which is inherently disordered and a mistreatment of embryonic children.” Unfortunately, this view is a rarity in the fertility industry. Donna also mentions in her article the sad statistic that 90 to 98 percent of human beings created through this process are either discarded, frozen, or used for research.

In the second article, Scott Stiegemeyer hits at the root of the problem theologically, which is our culture’s rejection of the way life was intended to be from the beginning of creation. Children are a heritage from the Lord, a fruit of the womb (Psalm 127). Children are begotten, not made. Children are the outcome of the procreative act within the context of a God pleasing marriage. Separating the procreative act from the marriage is to separate the miracle of life from the hand of God Himself.

So, what can be done? Where do we go from here?

There are multiple prongs in creating a culture of life, opposing abortion and helping women in crisis pregnancies is critical, but we also need to address the topics surrounding conception. As technology progresses and new reproductive technologies emerge, it is vital that we have conversations as a church body about artificial reproductive technologies, birth control, and the ethics of reproductive medicine.

Rev. John Pless, in his book, A Small Catechism on Human Life says, “Life is fearing, loving, and trusting the Triune God above all things. Apart from Him there is only death – even in those projects that we mistakenly believe will enhance life.” (Pless, p. 16)

He later continues, “Children are not our products. When children are seen as a product of human achievement, we begin to think of them as an entitlement, which we will do anything to achieve.” (Pless, p. 22)

We live in a fallen world, the effects of which are often intimately felt by the couple who desire children but struggle to conceive them. Desperation and despair can be the devil’s greatest tools in harming our marriages and society. While the desire of a married couple to have children is good and right, IVF seeks to achieve the outcome of a child without treating the underlying medical cause of infertility and harms embryonic life in the process. The IVF industry is also predatory and usually not entirely transparent about the loss of life and eugenic nature of the procedure.

Thankfully, there are live-honoring options for the couple experiencing infertility through Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) and NaPRO Technologies. Lutherans for Life also has some excellent resources on this subject.

To those experiencing infertility: Our Lord Jesus knows your anguish and sorrows. Many women and couples throughout the Scriptures encountered issues of fertility, Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth, just to name a few. Your pastor cares for you and desires to know your struggles. Talk with him about your heart to conceive. He has been sent to you to help you bear this difficult cross and walk with you. Ask for spiritual care, prayer, and resources that affirm life as begotten of God. Know that you are still loved and valued as a Child of God, and your worth does not rest in the number of children you are biologically able to conceive.

For the couple that has already experienced IVF: There is forgiveness in Christ. Seek Absolution and discuss with your pastor the options for honoring the lives of the embryos that may otherwise have been frozen or discarded by giving them a chance to develop through implantation and gestation, embryo adoption, or a Christian burial. There is no shame in seeking to correct the wrong or to deal with it in the most God pleasing way possible.

To those born from IVF: You are a gift from God, no matter the circumstances of your conception. You are loved and are created in His image.

To Pastors: Admittedly, we are not bioethicists. But we must educate ourselves and our parishioners about these issues. We are being thrust into a new reality of medicine and science daily, and we must be able to speak clearly on what is truly Christian and pro-life and what is harming the youngest and most vulnerable while claiming to create life. I encourage you to find out where your closest doctor certified in Natural Reproductive Technology (NaPRO) or Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) is located and proactively share these resources with your congregants, especially couples who desire to be married.

I am all too aware that this is an emotional and deeply personal issue. Only the precious gift of procreation from God could be so disastrously affected by the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. As with all things pertaining to the sanctity of human life, we must strive to have difficult conversations steeped in prayer, shared suffering, and life around God’s Word. To do otherwise would be to compromise our confession of life as begotten, not made.

In Christ,

Rev. Scot Missling
Public Policy Advocate
Minnesota Districts, LCMS
pastorstpaullcms@gmail.com
651-776-4737