IVF and Reproductive Technologies
“Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are…morally unacceptable. They 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.'” (CCC, 2377).
What's Wrong with Assisted Reproductive Technologies?
The Catholic Church opposes in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other harmful assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) because they separate the loving act of spouses from the procreative act. With IVF, the making of a child becomes a technical process in a laboratory. IVF leads to death of babies before birth and to injuries to children before and after birth. The process involves humiliating and immoral sperm production in the man. And IVF can endanger the woman’s health, placing stress on the well-being of families.
Loving Couples and Children
The Church, as the Body of Christ, accompanies those couples suffering from infertility. Furthermore, we embrace children born using IVF and other reproductive technologies. Our Lord Jesus says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me” (Mark 9:37). These children are loved by God and are fully worthy of the respect and dignity God gives to every human life. As Catholics, we are invited to love couples struggling with fertility and to love children, all children, brought into the world.
Illinois Considers IVF in Insurance Coverage on 2024 Ballot
An advisory question on the November 5, 2024, ballot received a majority vote in favor of health insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other immoral technologies. While more than one million Illinoisans voted “No” to the advisory question, almost three times as many voted “Yes.” Although the measure has no impact on state law, answers to the advisory question can influence Illinois lawmakers. The Church opposes IVF because, however well intended, IVF makes less human the procreative union of man and woman. Further, this process generates large numbers of fertilized eggs which are then typically destined to be abandoned or destroyed.
Federal Attempts to Protect IVF
In 2024, the USCCB opposed three proposed bills that would provide a statutory right to access ARTs such as in vitro fertilization, make it impossible for states to prohibit IVF, and expand fertility treatments like IVF. In 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that expanded IVF access. Bishops Daniel E. Thomas and Robert E. Barron issued a statement calling the move “fatally flawed.”
Natural Procreative Technology: Curing Infertility at the Source
Using morally acceptable medical technology to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of infertility is the most compassionate and effective approach for infertile couples. The Church encourages couples experiencing infertility to consider the use of NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology), where diagnostic and medical technologies combined with natural spousal intercourse, rather than laboratory procedures, can help couples achieve pregnancy. NaPro Technology (or NPT), a morally acceptable technology, looks to solve infertility at the source without denigrating human life.