We Choose Only the Best Quality Embryos

The Church is harshly criticized for its opposition of invitro fertilization and similar "new birth technologies." The reason for the Church's opposition is that these methods treat the mother and father like machines and the baby like a commodity. If you have any doubt that this is true, check out this recent article.

Frozen embryos better than fresh, study shows - Telegraph

Using frozen instead of fresh embryos produces healthier babies, a new study shows.

What caught my eye right away is the equation of embryos with produce - would you like frozen or fresh? The article quotes Dr. Anja Pinborg, from the Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet:

"We think the reason for the differences is probably positive selection of the embryos for frozen embryo replacement.

"Only the very top quality embryos survive the freezing and thawing process.

"And you only get pregnancies in patients with lots of good embryos to freeze."

Embryos - living human beings in the earliest stages of life - are treated exactly as products, and not only through language. If only the top quality embryos are chosen for implantation, this means that the inferior embryos are destroyed. Rejoicing that invitro fertilization results in healthier babies is the same as rejoicing that fewer babies are born with birth defects because babies with birth defects are killed before they can be born.

The Church's teaching on invitro fertilization, artificial insemination and other new birth technologies preserves the dignity of the human person and ensures that babies are conceived in love. That's something to celebrate.

Thanks to Wendy Wiese on Relevant Radio for bringing this story to our attention on Morning Air