By Ella Gudgel

I will be honest, before a few weeks ago I knew almost nothing about in vitro fertilization. I knew it was an important and controversial life topic, but I didn’t know many details or what IVF involved. This is one reason my co-coordinator and I decided to have some speakers discuss the topic for CUW Students for Life. We knew that if we didn’t have much information on IVF, other college students were likely the same. IVF does not typically directly affect college students since they do not use it themselves. But, they may know someone conceived in this way. This is why it is an important topic for college students to address from a Christ-centered and life-affirming view. That is why my co-coordinator and I invited Michelle Bauman and Dr. Matthew Lee to come on campus to speak about this topic.

At the event, Michelle Bauman first discussed how our ethics should be formed by God’s command. We looked at Scripture and how God views life and values us. No matter how one is conceived, they are valuable. Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (ESV). We are beloved and valuable children of the Father. This does not change based on how one is conceived, including in IVF.

Next, Dr. Matthew Lee spoke on the mechanics of IVF. He explained the details and what is involved in IVF that I was unaware of before this event. In IVF, sperm fertilizes an egg in a petri dish. The resulting embryo is then moved into the woman’s uterus. The remaining embryos are typically stored through a process of cryopreservation. Cryopreservation is “a special freezing process that halts the embryo’s development and, hopefully, keeps it alive” (Y4Life).

Overall, a major concern with in vitro fertilization is the use of multiple embryos. Up to eight embryos are created in the laboratory and only a few are used for pregnancy. This leaves the issue of what one should do with the remaining embryos. According to RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, there are five options for patients regarding their remaining embryos: storage, compassionate transfer, disposition, donation to research, and embryo donation. None of these options truly care for the embryos. They either push away the issue or discard the embryos, ending each life.

A second ethical concern with IVF is embryo grading. This step is done after the embryos are created. Ones that appear more “normal” will be used; others will be put into cryopreservation, and low-graded ones may be discarded. “Just as children are aborted based on faulty prenatal genetic screenings, embryos may be discarded as nonviable when they would have actually continued to grow and live” (Y4Life).

Embryos are chosen based on their genetic makeup. They live or die based on how they may develop. And this doesn’t just apply to how quickly they mature. Through genetic testing, embryos are also eliminated when they exhibit undesirable traits. This method regards certain disabilities or disorders as bad and tries to eliminate the disability or disorder by ending the child’s life.

Although neither I nor my peers might struggle with infertility at this point in our lives as college students, I understand that it can be a challenging and sensitive issue. It should be treated with care. I was also reminded that God creates and loves everyone, including those who are conceived from IVF. As a college student, I may encounter peers conceived through IVF. They are beloved children of God, loved just as much as I am, and should be treated with love – as should every life created by God. Psalm 139:13-14 describes God’s creative work even today, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (ESV).

Resources:

Making Decisions About Remaining Embryos. RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. (2024, February 9). https://resolve.org/learn/what-are-my-options/in-vitro-fertilization/remaining-embryos/

Y4Life. (n.d.). A 4Life View of IVF.