Do Orthodox Christians need to resort to IVF?
Why is this question important? As Christians conduct their lives in accordance with God's principles and Law, they must consider how their actions are consistent with the faith to which they are called.
A child is a gift from God, and if for some reason the spouses have not yet received this gift, then it is worth thinking about why. Many of us do not want to accept a “No” or “Wait” answer from the Lord. It is human nature to want and get what we want instantly, without waiting.
What Orthodoxy says about IVF
And sometimes God intends some changes for us in the process of waiting. So it is with the issue of artificial conception. Man interferes with family planning in his own ways that are displeasing to the Lord. Is it good? Every thinking Christian will answer no.
About childbirth:
- Orthodox Church on infertility
- Is it necessary for Orthodox families to have many children?
Why is the method of in vitro fertilization subject to such serious criticism among the priesthood? The answer lies in the essence of the procedure itself: several eggs are taken from the mother and fertilized outside the body with the father's seed. The born embryos are divided: some are transferred to the mother, and some are destroyed or frozen.
And this is where the problem arises, because this is already born life and it is being killed. So why is IVF better than abortion, because in both cases children are killed. The strict attitude of the Orthodox Church towards IVF is due precisely to the murder that occurs during this procedure.
The Church has the same negative attitude towards surrogacy, during which the child is often “bought.”
Important! The Church considers unacceptable all methods of fertilization outside a woman’s body that involve conservation or deliberate destruction of embryos.
Church recommendations
It is important to understand that the problem of infertility has causes, and like any disease is caused by lifestyle and thinking characteristics. Therefore, to overcome such a test, it is necessary to make changes in life, an integral part of which are confession and communion, which help not only in healing the soul, but also the body. Unction is a church sacrament that is directly associated with help for various diseases. It is recommended to undergo a wedding ceremony so that the marriage receives a church blessing. In case of “childlessness,” the church recommends treatment of the body (using traditional medicine or folk remedies), as well as prayers to heal the soul.
IVF from the point of view of Orthodoxy
Many haters and persecutors of the Church say that its negative attitude towards this procedure is due to the fact that the Church is an endangered mammoth that is opposed to technology, modern capabilities and science in general.
Church opinion on IVF
But it's not that. After all, the priesthood only approves of the stimulation and treatment of the female body in order to become pregnant. But it calls not to compromise with God in order to achieve your own, personally established goals. Life is a gift from God in any case; a person does not have the right to simply dispose of it at his own discretion: if he wanted, he killed the child through an abortion; if he wanted, he bought it for money from a surrogate mother.
Our desires must be in the context of the Lord’s Commandments, only in this way will a person be obedient to God . Isn't it better for a person to abandon his selfish desires and accept the will of God into his life?
Chairman of the Synodal Department for Charity, Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, says that the root of the problem is not in modern technologies, but in the fact that people are trying to control all aspects of life and the world as a whole.
“Human life is not a commodity that can be bought and sold,” says the bishop, “you cannot change gender, skin color or kill children simply because you want to. It is necessary to act within the framework of God's will. No children? Adopt an orphan, of which there are so many around. But people prefer to destroy several children (even in the form of embryos) just to get theirs.”
Of course, with the passage of time and repeated practice, IVF technology ceases to be so deadly - doctors have learned to fertilize and grow as many embryos as needed without killing (although this does not always work). But this procedure has not become more Christian: the embryos continue to be preserved in order to be thawed and fertilized again over time (this happens using liquid nitrogen).
No less moral is the creation of a so-called “bank” where embryos are stored until their parents decide to use them. And these are only equal biological facts that do not affect the issue of the souls of conceived children, which are stored in nitrogen instead of being born. This attitude towards a person is inhumane; he ceases to be something animate and becomes simply an object that is disposed of as they wish.
In addition, the Church raises the issue, which has not yet been sufficiently studied, of the health of children as a result of such a birth. In 2009, the Chief Pediatrician of Russia publicly provided information that 75% of children born after IVF are disabled. The issue of women's health after the procedure has also not been thoroughly studied.
Important! As a result of studying this issue, the Church prohibited Orthodox believers from using in vitro fertilization procedures to conceive a child, as well as surrogacy. The Synod suggests using other means for the birth and adoption of children.
What scientists are hiding
No matter what we are told about the humane purposes of IVF, at its core, reproductive technologies are a business, and, like any business, they are fraught with all sorts of trade secrets. Despite the fact that doctors monitor the development of “eco” babies, today there are no official statistics on how children born as a result of IVF develop. On the one hand, it’s clear why: such statistics go against the interests of parents who have received a long-awaited child, who do not want the secret of their baby’s birth to be revealed. But on the other hand, the lack of scientific data about IVF children gives rise to the development of various kinds of myths around this topic. Popular rumor, like myths, never arises out of nowhere and, as a rule, carries important information.
Of course, this is a private opinion of a specialist, and not official statistics. But this is not advertising, focused not so much on objective information as on making a profit. Society and science, at a minimum, need data on how well IVF children are born, whether they naturally adapt to society: what diseases they have or, conversely, do not get sick from, how capable they are of work and study, whether they successfully arrange their personal lives, what kind of children they give birth to etc. The very fact of the absence of a special research area on this issue is alarming.
Why is the church against IVF?
Such a child will have the same godmother and godfather as all other children, he will be bathed in a vat of holy water, all the required prayers will be read, etc.
Is it necessary to indicate in the temple that the child was born as a result of IVF? Not at all necessary, since this, by and large, will not matter either to parents, or to clergy, or to himself.
These and many other questions always worry and will continue to worry parents, since you don’t always know what can be done and what is a sin. To be sure, you can always seek advice directly from the priests. They will tell you how and when it is better to baptize, whether IVF children are baptized after reading special prayers before this, how best to prepare for this procedure and other nuances that interest you.
Many church representatives argue that it is impossible to excommunicate a child from baptism, since this is contrary to church canons. And yet, some clergy sometimes make pretentious decisions, such as refusing to baptize a child conceived through IVF in a given church, despite the circumstances. In such a case, there is no need to panic or refuse baptism altogether. It is simply necessary for parents to contact another church, since in fact the priest has no right to refuse such a procedure as the baptism of a child due to personal dissatisfaction with the actions of the parents. The Bible texts repeatedly repeat the idea that everyone must be responsible for their actions. Children are not punished for their parents’ misdeeds, just like parents are not punished for their children. The only thing that can be said is that the Church has the right to demand confession from parents before the baptism ceremony of an IVF child. There is nothing terrible or shameful in this, because confession is the cleansing of the soul before God. Each of us needs to undergo such a procedure even with natural conception.
Get a free doctor's consultation
Remember one thing: only a priest in a temple can give advice and recommendations. Always communicate directly only with him. Do not resort to sources of information “they said on the street” or “a friend recommended”. If you are afraid of condemnation from the clergy, then know that many priests at this time are quite progressive and understand the whole situation. The truth always comes out in conversation. Don't be afraid to speak up.
So, if you have decided to carry out the IVF method and the only question remains “are children born from IVF baptized?”, or “is it possible to baptize children after IVF?”, then you can safely make an appointment for the procedure, since there are no significant problems you won't meet.
Why is the church against IVF?
The Church believes that the birth of children is the desired fruit of marriage, but not its only goal. Along with this, the spouses are granted mutual love, unity of soul and body. If a couple is unable to conceive a baby, and treatment methods do not help, they need to either come to terms with their childlessness or consider the possibility of adopting a baby by mutual consent.
The church speaks out especially negatively against the procedure of artificial insemination if the following methods are used:
- donor sperm;
- procedure without marriage;
- use by single women;
- conservation or destruction of excess embryos;
- reduction of embryos.
Using donor sperm for fertilization. This is interference by a third party in the marriage union, violating the integrity of family relationships. In this case, there is an encouragement of irresponsible fatherhood in relation to those who are his flesh and blood. An anonymous father will not know about the existence of his children, and will not be able to take part in their lives. This violates the rights of the future baby to have only parents, since he will have both social and biological ones.
Fertilization of single ladies. In Orthodoxy it is believed that a child should have two parents, but in this case, he is deliberately deprived of one of them.
Preservation or destruction of excess embryos. According to the clergy, it is unacceptable to grow more embryos than will be subsequently implanted into the woman. According to Christian faith, already at the moment of conception the human soul is born. This means that it is present in every embryo. The selection of the most viable and destruction of the rest is regarded by the church as infanticide. It is also morally unacceptable to transfer excess embryos for the production of cell products or experiments.
Reduction of embryos, or removal of excess embryos transferred to the uterus, to avoid multiple pregnancies, is equivalent to abortion. This has been condemned by the church since ancient times and is considered one of the grave sins, since Orthodoxy recognizes human dignity even in embryos.
Conception in vitro, church opinion
In all religions of the world, the onset of pregnancy is interpreted as grace descending on a woman. Childlessness is a punishment for sins. Therefore, the holy fathers insist that conception must remain a natural process, a sacrament in which two people participate: husband and wife. Intervention by other persons in this case is unacceptable.
However, many methods of infertility treatment are accepted in the Christian Orthodox Church. These include the following:
- Taking medications;
- Carrying out medical procedures;
- Surgical intervention.
If we talk about pregnancy “obtained” artificially, then the only opportunity for a believing woman to conceive is the method of artificial insemination.
The essence of the procedure is to “replant” seminal fluid into the uterine cavity. Artificial insemination is very similar to the natural processes that occur in a woman’s body after intimacy. However, for many pathological reasons, sperm cannot “get” to the target on their own and die. If the procedure is successful, the injected seminal fluid will fertilize the egg. Then they will begin to move together through the fallopian tubes, they will safely reach the uterus and penetrate its wall.
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The church has a positive attitude towards this method of artificial conception. But only if two conditions are met:
- The sperm used for fertilization belongs to the woman’s husband;
- Seminal fluid is obtained through genital puncture or collected naturally during sexual intercourse.
Why are these aspects important for a believer? The sacrament of family life does not provide for the intervention of third parties. Therefore, the introduction of donor sperm is excluded.
The method of obtaining male germ cells is also important. After all, masturbation is interpreted by the church as masturbation, which is inherently vicious. Therefore, this method cannot be used when collecting biological material.
But the church’s attitude towards IVF is extremely negative. When talking about IVF, we mean artificial insemination, which uses female or male reproductive cells to conceive outside the woman’s body. In this case, the situation of the patients is equated to surrogacy.
Another important negative side of IVF technology is the “extraction”, selection and disposal of non-viable embryos. The listed aspects are perceived by church ministers as a violation of the main moral foundations of Christianity.
Indications
The main situations when a couple is indicated for IVF:
- Obstruction of the fallopian tubes. In this case, the chance of an egg meeting a male gamete is zero.
- Absence of fallopian tubes. They can be removed due to the presence of any diseases.
- Endometriosis.
- Hormonal disorders. If there are hormonal imbalances, pregnancy may be terminated.
As you may have noticed, the reasons listed apply specifically to women. In male infertility, the problem lies in the number of healthy sperm. Sedentary work and lack of physical activity negatively affects men's health.
What do other religions think about IVF?
Speaking about the church’s attitude towards IVF, every person should understand that it is worth considering not only the Orthodox Church. Let's look at the major religions and their opinions on in vitro fertilization.
Islam
Islam is one of the most widespread religions in Russia, but the opinion of its representatives about IVF is very different from the Orthodox one. Representatives of the Islamic Church have a positive attitude towards such fertilization, but only if three important conditions are met:
- Under no circumstances should donor cells be used.
- Couples who decide to undergo IVF must be in a legal relationship (in a state marriage).
- Embryos whose lifespan exceeds 0.25 years should not be destroyed.
Representatives of the Islamic Church also argue that everyone should strive to prolong their family history, even through infertility treatment. And people who do not want to have children are seriously sinning.
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Buddhism
This religion is even more loyal to IVF; more precisely, in vitro fertilization is even one of the tips that can be received in the church. Buddhists welcome any children, regardless of the method of their birth; in any case, the parents will receive full blessings. And any embryos must be saved, because this is the only way to prolong the race.
Judaism
The Church does not limit parents in choosing a method, be it IVF, surrogacy or artificial insemination. The only existing restriction concerns surrogacy. In fact, even the process of choosing a woman does not matter. The only thing that matters is her conversation with the church representative. The fact is that she must receive God's blessing in order for the birth of a child to be successful.
