We recently used IVF to conceive another child. However, instead of the normal number of good fertilized eggs (four), which would normally produce one or two babies, we ended up with not only twins in the womb, but eight more in cold storage, so to speak! My wife has been having a trying pregnancy and isn't sure she could physically go through it again (and again and again...). There are medical reasons for avoiding further pregnancies. But we want to do what is right in God's eyes. Any advice would be helpful to us in divining God's will for us in this.
I appreciate your sincere desire to do what is right. The answer will depend, firstly, on when you believe human life begins. If "at conception" is the answer, then you need to decide what to do with these other children. There are many who contend that IVF itself is immoral. Yet it must be admitted that most in the medical profession, and in our society at large, find no problem with IVF.
My own view is not so severe as the traditional Catholic position, but then neither is it so liberal as modern western thinking would allow. Have you taken a look at Q&A 0409? Perhaps they did not answer your specific question.
Further, you might want to read a Jewish view on this issue. For a less severe, Christian perspective, try this link. And there are many other web articles you might want to take a look at. I would feel better sharing my advice knowing which articles/books you have already read. (Too many couples make medical, ethical, political, or other decisions without thinking them through theologically.)
In short, my view remains that (1) those fertilized ova are your progeny, and (2) therefore you are right to pose the serious question of their future. Decide responsibly, and make sure your decision is informed biblically.
This article is copyrighted and is for private use and study only. © 2005. Reprints or public distribution is prohibited without the express consent of Douglas Jacoby.
Supplemental thought
From Karen Swallow Prior (Christianity Today, July-August 2026), 16:
"Many Christian conversations around IVF focus on how to use the technology without destroying life. That is an important question, but it is not the only ethical question in these matters. The primary issue in this case is not the technology but the ethics of intentionally conceiving a child in a way that denies him or her a father from the start... Our duty as would-be mothers precludes deliberately bringing children into the world in a way that denies them both parents."
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Readers may also be interested in the article from Stand to Reason on IVF.
