Reproductive Technologies

Reproductive Technologies

It is impossible to judge any person who makes a decision regarding the life or death of another. It is however necessary to analyze the morality or ethicality of a persons actions when placed in a difficult situation. In this case, Susan and John had made many difficult decisions, however the decisions they made may be ethically wrong.

Susan and John decided to use IVF to produce a baby, because they wanted to be sure to have a good bone marrow match for their daughter, Anna. Although the subjunctive reasons for IVF are clearly made with good intentions, there are objective evils that attach themselves. With IVF there are often more embryos produced than will be implanted. These embryos are usually destroyed. This is an injustice to those embryos that are not given the chance to develop into a person. The Church teaches that sex has an intrinsic connection to procreation and that this connection should not be broken by any voluntary act of our own.

The Church also teaches that, "each and every marital act must . . . retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life." Every human life is valuable and should not just be thrown away because the child does not fulfill the expectations that we have for it. Technically, we should not have any expectations for the unborn child because we should want the child to grow and unfold for their own sake, and not for the purpose of serving us.

In the end, however, both girls are alive and healthy. Although there were many ethical issues revolving this situation, because of it one life was saved. That one life is priceless.