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Artificial Reproductive Technologies (ART). Donum Vitae: Gift of Life (1987). Catechism.
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Catechism 2377 [Reproductive Technologies] 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. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children.
Fear of Pregnancy No Babies for the Infertile Perverse Church?
Right to a child? On the part of the spouses, the desire for a child is natural: it expresses the vocation to fatherhood and motherhood as inscribed in conjugal love. This desire can be even stronger if the couple is affected by sterility which appears incurable. Nevertheless, marriage does not confer upon the spouses the right to have a child, but only the right to perform those natural acts which are per se ordered to procreation. (II:8)
Children are Gifts A true and proper right to a child would be contrary to the child’s dignity and nature. The child is not an object to which one has a right, nor can he be considered as an object of ownership: rather, a child is a gift, “the supreme gift” and the most gratuitous gift of marriage…(II:8)
Lives of Service …sterility is certainly a difficult trial …spouses who find themselves in this sad situation are called to find in it an opportunity for sharing in a particular way in the Lord’s cross, the source of spiritual fruitfulness. Sterile couples must not forget that “even when procreation is not possible, conjugal life does not for this reason lose its value.” (II:8)
Two Fundamental Values • The life of the child called into existence • Implications for the parentage of the child • Treatment of embryo 2. The special nature of the transmission of human life in marriage • Conception should be direct result of mutual self-giving • Spouses should become parents only by each other
Rights of the child The child has the right to be conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the world and brought up within marriage; it is through the secure and recognized relationship to his own parents that the child can discover his own identity and achieve his own proper human development. The parents find in their child a confirmation and completion of their reciprocal self- giving: the child is the living image of their love, the permanent sign of their conjugal union, the living and indissoluble concrete expression of their paternity and maternity. (II:2)
Human Life is Not Animal Life From the moment of conception, the life of every human being is to be respected in an absolute way because man is the only creature on earth that God has wished for himself and the spiritual soul of each man is "immediately created" by God; his whole being bears the image of the Creator. Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves "the creative action of God" and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can, in any circumstance, claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being. (Intro, 5)
Meaning of Marriage: Exclusivity The bond existing between husband and wife accords the spouses, in an objective and inalienable manner, the exclusive right to become father and mother solely through each other. (II:2)
Wrong because artificial? These interventions are not to be rejected on the grounds that they are artificial. As such, they bear witness to the possibilities of the art of medicine. But they must be given a moral evaluation in reference to the dignity of the human person, who is called to realize his vocation from God to the gift of love and the gift of life. (Intro:3)
Replacing nature vs. Assisting nature If the technical means facilitates the conjugal act or helps it to reach its natural objectives, it can be morally acceptable. If, on the other hand, the procedure were to replace the conjugal act, it is morally illicit. (II:6) A medical intervention respects the dignity of persons when it seeks to assist the conjugal act either in order to facilitate its performance or in order to enable it to achieve its objective once it has been normally performed. (II:7)
Assisting Nature • Timing of intercourse • Nutrition: e.g., limit alcohol, smoking • Stop excessive exercise • Hormones • Fertility Drugs • Surgery • Wear loose-fitting boxer shorts
Incidence of Infertility • In the US there are 60 million women of reproductive age • In 1995, about 1.2 million, or 2%, had had an infertility-related medical appointment within the previous year • An additional 13% had received infertility services at some time in their lives. • Additionally, 7% of married couples (2.1 million couples) reported that they had not used contraception for 12 months and the woman had not become pregnant.
Artificial Insemination or Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): Facts • Male needs to masturbate • Costs $300-$700 per attempt • Works better if combined with fertility drugs • No national statistics kept on success: perhaps 5-25% • Most women undergo 3-6 treatments before achieving pregnant or trying another method
2002 ART DATA—OVERVIEW 428 ART clinics in the United States in 2002 • 391 ART clinics submitted data • 115,392 cycles were reported • 33,141 live-birth deliveries • 45,751 live babies born
Canadian IVF Researchers Admit 80-90% of IVF-Created Human Embryos Doomed to Die OTTAWA, November 26, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In announcing an In Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) breakthrough, researchers at the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI) have admitted publicly that only 10-20% of human embryos created by the process survive to pregnancy. The percentage of embryos that actually make it to birth is significantly lower.
Confusion Galore Mike Keefe, The Denver Post, 3/26/03
Who is my Mommy? • 1989:Luanne and John marry • 1989-94: They try various infertility treatments • 1994: Using donor sperm, donor egg, and a surrogate, they achieve a pregnancy • 1994: One month before baby Jaycee is born, John files for divorce and refuses to pay child support • Surrogate sues for custody • John ruled not legal father; Luanne ruled not legal mother • Egg donor denies she gave permission for use of egg • Sperm donor denies he gave permission for use of sperm • 1999: Court of Appeals gives custody to Luanne and rules that John is legal parent
Increased Incidence of Birth Defects • 200,000 infants have been born in the United States through artificial reproductive technology. • 101 babies of 1,138 were born after IVF with birth defects compared with 168 of the 4,000 naturally conceived babies -- 9.4 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively • The defects include clubfoot, shortened limbs, heart malformations and anomalies of the sex organs. • Minor birth defects that could be repaired by surgery, such as extra fingers and toes • Babies more likely to be underweight and premature at birth.
NaProTECHNOLOGY Dr. Tom Hilgers
