Artificial Reproductive
Technologies (ART)
Donum Vitae: Gift of Life (1987)
Catechism
2377 [Reproductive Technologies] dissociate
the sexual act from the procreative act. The
act which brings the child into existence is no
longer an act by which two persons give
themselves to one another, but one that
entrusts the life and identity of the embryo
into the power of doctors and biologists and
establishes the domination of technology
over the origin and destiny of the human
person. Such a relationship of domination is
in itself contrary to the dignity and equality
that must be common to parents and
children.
Perverse Church?
Fear of Pregnancy
No Babies for the Infertile
Science Needs Values
Whose life matters?
“I demand my rights!”
Right to a child?
On the part of the spouses, the desire for a
child is natural: it expresses the vocation to
fatherhood and motherhood as inscribed in
conjugal love. This desire can be even
stronger if the couple is affected by sterility
which appears incurable. Nevertheless,
marriage does not confer upon the spouses
the right to have a child, but only the right
to perform those natural acts which are per
se ordered to procreation. (II:8)
Children are Gifts
A true and proper right to a child
would be contrary to the child’s dignity
and nature. The child is not an object
to which one has a right, nor can he
be considered as an object of
ownership: rather, a child is a gift,
“the supreme gift” and the most
gratuitous gift of marriage…(II:8)
Lives of Service
…sterility is certainly a difficult trial
…spouses who find themselves in this
sad situation are called to find in it an
opportunity for sharing in a particular
way in the Lord’s cross, the source of
spiritual fruitfulness. Sterile couples
must not forget that “even when
procreation is not possible, conjugal life
does not for this reason lose its value.”
(II:8)
Two Fundamental Values
1. The life of the child called into existence
•
•
Implications for the parentage of the child
Treatment of embryo
2. The special nature of the transmission of
human life in marriage
•
•
Conception should be direct result of mutual
self-giving
Spouses should become parents only by each
other
Rights of the child
The child has the right to be conceived,
carried in the womb, brought into the world and
brought up within marriage; it is through the
secure and recognized relationship to his own
parents that the child can discover his own
identity and achieve his own proper human
development.
The parents find in their child a confirmation
and completion of their reciprocal self- giving:
the child is the living image of their love, the
permanent sign of their conjugal union, the
living and indissoluble concrete expression of
their paternity and maternity. (II:2)
Human Life is Not Animal Life
From the moment of conception, the life of every
human being is to be respected in an absolute
way because man is the only creature on earth
that God has wished for himself and the spiritual
soul of each man is "immediately created" by
God; his whole being bears the image of the
Creator. Human life is sacred because from its
beginning it involves "the creative action of God"
and it remains forever in a special relationship
with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone
is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end:
no one can, in any circumstance, claim for
himself the right directly to destroy an innocent
human being. (Intro, 5)
Meaning of Marriage: Exclusivity
The bond existing between
husband and wife accords the
spouses, in an objective and
inalienable manner, the exclusive
right to become father and mother
solely through each other. (II:2)
Wrong because artificial?
These interventions are not to be
rejected on the grounds that they are
artificial. As such, they bear witness
to the possibilities of the art of
medicine. But they must be given a
moral evaluation in reference to the
dignity of the human person, who is
called to realize his vocation from God
to the gift of love and the gift of life.
(Intro:3)
Replacing nature vs.
Assisting nature
If the technical means facilitates the conjugal act or
helps it to reach its natural objectives, it can be
morally acceptable. If, on the other hand, the
procedure were to replace the conjugal act, it is
morally illicit. (II:6)
A medical intervention respects the dignity of
persons when it seeks to assist the conjugal act
either in order to facilitate its performance or in
order to enable it to achieve its objective once it has
been normally performed. (II:7)
Assisting Nature
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Timing of intercourse
Nutrition: e.g., limit alcohol, smoking
Stop excessive exercise
Hormones
Fertility Drugs
Surgery
Wear loose-fitting boxer shorts
Incidence of Infertility
• In the US there are 60 million women of
reproductive age
• In 1995, about 1.2 million, or 2%, had had
an infertility-related medical appointment
within the previous year
• An additional 13% had received infertility
services at some time in their lives.
• Additionally, 7% of married couples (2.1
million couples) reported that they had
not used contraception for 12 months
and the woman had not become
pregnant.
Babies R’ Us
Artificial Insemination or
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI):
Facts
• Male needs to masturbate
• Costs $300-$700 per attempt
• Works better if combined with fertility
drugs
• No national statistics kept on success:
perhaps 5-25%
• Most women undergo 3-6 treatments
before achieving pregnant or trying
another method
In Vitro Fertilization
Ovum
Wife’s
Sperm
Husband’s
Gestator
Wife
Wife’s
Donor’s
Donor’s
Husband’s
Husband’s
Husband’s
Wife’s
Donor’s
Surrogate
Wife
Surrogate
(donor?)
Wife
Wife’s
Donor’s
Surrogate
2002 ART DATA—OVERVIEW
428 ART clinics in the United
States in 2002
 391 ART clinics submitted
data
 115,392 cycles were reported
 33,141 live-birth deliveries
 45,751 live babies born
Canadian IVF Researchers Admit
80-90% of IVF-Created Human
Embryos Doomed to Die
OTTAWA, November 26, 2003
(LifeSiteNews.com) - In announcing an In
Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) breakthrough,
researchers at the Ottawa Health Research
Institute (OHRI) have admitted publicly that
only 10-20% of human embryos created by
the process survive to pregnancy. The
percentage of embryos that actually make it
to birth is significantly lower.
Selective Termination
Excess Embryos
Confusion Galore
Mike Keefe, The Denver Post, 3/26/03
Who is my Mommy?
• 1989:Luanne and John marry
• 1989-94: They try various infertility treatments
• 1994: Using donor sperm, donor egg, and a
surrogate, they achieve a pregnancy
• 1994: One month before baby Jaycee is born, John
files for divorce and refuses to pay child support
• Surrogate sues for custody
• John ruled not legal father; Luanne ruled not legal
mother
• Egg donor denies she gave permission for use of
egg
• Sperm donor denies he gave permission for use of
sperm
• 1999: Court of Appeals gives custody to Luanne
and rules that John is legal parent
Increased Incidence of
Birth Defects
• 200,000 infants have been born in the United
States through artificial reproductive
technology.
• 101 babies of 1,138 were born after IVF with
birth defects compared with 168 of the 4,000
naturally conceived babies -- 9.4 percent and
4.5 percent, respectively
• The defects include clubfoot, shortened
limbs, heart malformations and anomalies of
the sex organs.
• Minor birth defects that could be repaired by
surgery, such as extra fingers and toes
• Babies more likely to be underweight and
premature at birth.
NaProTECHNOLOGY
Dr. Tom Hilgers
Embryo Adoption
Snowflakes
Cowardly New World