Tara Sander Lee, Ph.D., is the Former Vice President and Director of Life Sciences at the Charlotte Lozier Institute and a molecular cell biologist with over 20 years' experience in academic and clinical medicine. This article accompanies her recent publication in The Journal of the Math3ma Institute, "The Sanctity of Human Life Confirmed in Scripture and Unveiled in Science."

Background

At a young age, the Lord placed a strong desire on my heart for science and examining His creation.  Studying the intricacies of the human body always fascinated me. This desire led me on a journey towards earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry followed by 25 years of biomedical research.  The challenge today with science and medicine is that they are advancing together at a propelling pace—it’s hard to keep up and fully understand the latest breakthroughs.  This task can be especially daunting when sickness and suffering strikes, and you are left deciding whether to proceed with a medical procedure or treatment offered by your doctor. Questions immediately arise.  Will this treatment work? Does it treat the underlying condition or is it a makeshift solution? Are there risks? How much does it cost? Will it cause harm to me or others?  Is this treatment ethical and does it align with Scripture? If not, are there ethical alternatives?  

To help Christians better understand science through a biblical lens, I contributed an article to The Journal of The Math3ma Institute entitled “The Sanctity of Human Life Confirmed in Scripture and Unveiled in Science.” The goal of this article is to equip Christians with scientific knowledge and biblical truth as they seek to do His will and make Christ-honoring healthcare decisions with a clear conscience. Nevertheless, Christians must be aware that even when armed with scientific knowledge, it can still be difficult to make sound healthcare decisions.  This is especially true for Christian couples facing infertility who must make a decision about IVF.  They soon find themselves wrestling with what is right, ethical, and true, and how best to conceive a child in obedience to Christ.

What is IVF?

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), were developed to help couples suffering with infertility.  IVF technology is an artificial method that allows fertilization and early maturation of the new human being to occur in vitro (i.e., outside the woman’s body, in a lab petri dish).  Since its first successful attempt in 1978 with the birth of Louise Brown, at least 12 million babies around the world have been born using IVF methods. In the U.S., at least one in every 50 babies born is conceived by IVF. An IVF cycle is a complex series of procedures, which includes: (1) use of drugs to stimulate a woman’s ovaries to produce multiple eggs, (2) surgically retrieve the woman’s eggs, (3) collect a man’s sperm, (4) combine a woman’s egg(s) and male sperm in a lab petri dish, (5) grow human embryo(s) in the lab for about five days, (6) transfer human embryo(s) into a woman’s body (fallopian tubes or uterus).  A pregnancy test is taken shortly after to determine if implantation was successful.  

IVF was intended to be used as a last resort, after all other less invasive methods were tried and proven unsuccessful (e.g., fertility drugs, artificial insemination, and in certain cases, surgery).  But IVF use has doubled over the past decade and is now offered as a “quick fix” to numerous couples with difficulty achieving pregnancy.

In this blogpost, I offer advice for Christian couples considering IVF, based on my own experience with infertility and understanding of science and Scripture. To keep it succinct, this post will briefly share the wonderful life-affirming aspect of IVF followed by five potential pitfalls.

Life-affirming aspect: Children conceived through IVF are made in God’s image.

Human beings conceived by IVF are no less human than human beings conceived from natural reproduction.  They only differ from naturally-conceived human beings in where and how their conception occurred.  Every human being, whether conceived inside or outside a woman’s womb is a precious human life with inherent dignity and value.  At the moment of their conception by fertilization (sperm-egg fusion), every new human being is called an embryo, and they are alive. They have a complete human genome (DNA) sufficient to achieve the activities that define all living human beings.  God welcomes every person, great and small, no matter where or how they were conceived, to enter His kingdom.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  – Matthew 19:14

Pitfall #1: IVF has a high failure rate.

For every baby successfully born in the U.S. by IVF, there have been hundreds of thousands of failed cycles where the couple does not achieve pregnancy.  For couples that do become pregnant, a subset will experience pregnancy loss and a baby will not be born.  For many, the risks far outweigh the benefits.  Discerning whether to proceed with IVF can be overwhelming, particularly when facing pressure from fertility doctors, family, and possibly even yourself to have a child before the biological clock runs out.  Christian couples should not feel rushed into making a decision, no matter how much pressure they feel.  God’s timing is perfect, and nothing is impossible for God.  Take the time you need to make the decision that is right for you and according to God’s will, not your fertility specialist.  Seek godly counsel.  Trust in God, not man.  Your inability to conceive—a weakness according to the world—may just be one of the greatest opportunities for Him to prove His almighty power.  

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Pitfall #2: IVF causes harm and destruction to God’s little ones.

Perhaps the greatest pitfall is the millions of human beings that have been created in the lab through IVF that end up being discarded and destroyed.  Each IVF cycle is unique, and for some, it can result in the retrieval of many eggs and production of several human embryos—many more than the couple knows what to do with. Human embryos produced during an IVF cycle that are immediately transferred into a woman’s body are called “fresh embryos” and have the highest chance of survival.  If the number of “fresh” human embryos produced in one cycle is more than the number that can be immediately transferred into the woman, then the couple must decide what to do with the extra human embryos.  

Their options are to:  

1. Freeze embryos and transfer them later.
2. Donate frozen embryos to another couple (aka, embryo adoption or snowflake babies).
3. Freeze and abandon embryos indefinitely.
4. Donate “fresh” or “frozen” embryos to research for science experimentation.
5. Discard “fresh” or “frozen” embryos.

The freezing method, however, can harm young human beings and may decrease their chance of survival.  Furthermore, research using donated human embryos is highly controversial because the act of experimentation intentionally harms and destroys human life.  It is wise for the couple to discuss IVF options with their doctor that safely limits the number of human embryos produced so that there is no risk of creating human beings that might be destroyed or abandoned.  Couples must also be aware that a fertility specialist may present an IVF option that fits their family’s budget but increases the likelihood of producing and harming human embryos.  When engaged in these discussions, especially with non-believing doctors, the Christian couple must be aware that it is not just their bank account which is at stake – it is ultimately the lives of God’s little ones.  

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter…” – Proverbs 24:11

Pitfall #3: There is risk of physical harm and injury to women during IVF.

There are risks of physical injury and harm to women undergoing IVF.  A woman is at risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) while her body is being stimulated with drugs to produce multiple eggs.  OHSS develops when the woman’s ovaries adversely overreact to injectable hormones, becoming swollen and painful and possibly leaking fluid.  In severe cases, hospitalization and treatment may be required.  Surgical complications during egg retrieval are also a risk including infection, ovarian injury, bleeding, etc.  There are also reported cases of women being hospitalized for a rare form of pneumonia caused by allergic reaction to the sesame oil in the progesterone shots administered during IVF. When Christian couples are considering IVF, there is the temptation to elevate the recommendation of the fertility counselor above all else and then pray these risks won’t happen to you.  Only God knows what’s best for you—He created you.  Seek God’s wisdom and counsel above all else.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.  He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness and light dwells in him.  Daniel 2:21-22.

Pitfall #4: IVF fosters discrimination and eugenics.

IVF is often used to evaluate the quality of human embryos before transfer to prevent passing on “bad” genetic traits.  It is common practice for clinics to use a method called preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) to test human embryos for DNA differences (e.g., Down Syndrome). Once a human embryo is tested and evaluated, they are scored and ranked.  Only embryos with a good score are selected and transferred into the woman.  Human embryos with “abnormal” results, a genetic defect, or simply being the undesired sex, receive a lower score.  Such embryos are avoided, disposed of, or donated to research. This is a modern-day method of eugenics with the goal of improving the genetic quality of a couple’s offspring by promoting (transferring) only those human beings judged to be superior and excluding (avoiding, discarding) those judged to be inferior.  When engaged in these discussions, a Christian couple must be aware that preimplantation genetic screening is an option, but it is not required.  God designed human beings to be unique, and DNA is one of the greatest tools God uses to create tremendous diversity in humanity.  None of us are perfect, but we are perfect in Christ.

The LORD said to him, who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute?  Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” – Exodus 4:11

Pitfall #5: The IVF industry is a highly unregulated business.

Christian couples must remember that the IVF industry is a fertility market.  It is a business and there is a lot of money to be made by clinics that offer IVF services.  Clinics compete in the marketplace claiming to offer the best fertility treatments and IVF success rates.  The truth is that the ART industry is a highly unregulated field and not all labs are accredited with proper oversight.  In many cases, reporting and data requirements from ART clinics are being relaxed to give clinics more autonomy and less regulatory oversight or accountability when performing IVF.  Men are not immune to the harm of the industry either and are often encouraged to watch pornography in the clinic while collecting a semen sample. The Christian couple must be wise and discerning, and not turn a blind eye to the temptations of greed, fear, and lust that exist in a fertility clinic.    

I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:1–2

Final words and reflections

I personally understand the pain and suffering of infertility, and the rollercoaster of emotions when trying to conceive.  For me and my husband, our journey with infertility was one in which IVF failed after one attempt.  Three human embryos were produced and all three were immediately transferred.  I did not become pregnant and in fact, was hospitalized due to a severe allergic reaction.  Only when we turned our suffering over to God, laid everything at his feet, and surrendered to His will did we finally have peace.  On His timing, not our own, God answered our prayer and granted us with a son by natural conception. The pregnancy journey for each couple is different—some will find joy, others will only experience pain, some will experience both.  My prayer is that wherever your journey leads, that you grow in your relationship to Christ and seek him above all else.  If this has whetted your appetite for a broader overview of beginning of life topics from a biblical perspective, please consider reading my essay in the Math3ma Journal article.  God’s blessing to you and all glory to Him—Amen!