Lila Rosa challenges Christian support for IVF

In vitro fertilization – the process by which a human embryo is created outside the body using naturally occurring egg and sperm – is growing in popularity as infertility continues to rise.

But how should Christians view IVF? Is it something believers can support or take part in without compromising their Christian ethics?

Allie Beth Stuckey invited Live Action’s Lila Rose to “Relatable” to have a candid conversation about this topic.

Allie points out that many Christian IVF supporters make the case that “even though scientists and doctors are bringing together the sperm and the embryo, it always has to be God who gives the spark of life, so God is in IVF.”

“I’ve definitely heard that [argument] as well,” says Lila, and while “it is true that those are precious human beings made in God’s image” and “God respects our power to [create life artificially],” that doesn’t mean it’s the moral thing to do.

She explains that just because God has allowed life to happen doesn’t mean he condones the manner in which it was created. She points to rape as an example. In a case where a rape results in a child, that child is an image bearer of God and a blessing to be cherished, but the act that brought that child into the world is condemnable.

In the case of both rape and IVF, “The act that brought that life into existence … was not the moral act, so the act that brings life into existence can be immoral, but the bringing of the life into existence is never immoral,” Lila explains. The only way to morally bring a life into existence is through “the loving marital embrace.”

“[Children] deserve to be conceived in love. It’s a natural order, and there’s a lot of protective mechanisms in God’s providence for that child if they’re conceived that way,” she adds.

If children are conceived naturally, there’s no chance they will be “frozen” in perpetuity, and there’s a much higher chance of survival, as IVF has just a 50% success rate for women under 35 using their own eggs. That percentage plummets with a number of factors, including age, clinic quality, and lifestyle choices, among others.

“The natural order is much more designed for [children’s] safety and their nourishing, so IVF is wrong,” Lila concludes, “but what is not wrong is that new human life.”

Allie agrees — “The baby is always a blessing, but that doesn’t mean that we are endorsing every method of making a baby.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.

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