By Rachel Morales, Executive Director, Right to Life Kern County
It’s tempting to think that being pro-life would naturally mean supporting IVF, since so many people have used it as a way to have children. While the birth of any child is a wonderful blessing and worthy of celebration, my mind can’t help but turn to all the embryos who will never be implanted; those who will remain frozen indefinitely or be destroyed.
I recently came across a headline that read, “These twins were born in 2022, but they are 30 years old.” You might be tempted (like I was) to say, “What?! That’s impossible!” But when you read further and discover that these babies were first conceived through IVF in 1992, you realize it is possible. In this particular case, the couple using IVF to adopt, specifically asked for embryos that had been waiting the longest. There were five embryos in total, frozen for over 30 years. Two did not survive the thawing process, and one was tragically miscarried, meaning only two of the five made it to full term and were born.
It is truly a miracle that these two babies are alive today. Some statistics estimate that nearly 93% of embryos created through IVF are never born. These 93% are either frozen, experimented on, lost during thawing, miscarried, or destroyed due to “old age.”
This is where the pro-life stance comes into play. To be truly pro-life, we must be opposed to this fate for the unborn. Because we believe life begins at conception, we must also believe then that these are tiny human beings—children—whose lives are being cut short by the practices of the IVF industry. There are also long lists of risks for IVF-conceived babies once implanted in the womb, including: a 40% increased risk of birth defects, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, and more. Sadly, these risks can sometimes lead mothers to consider abortion, creating yet another premature ending of life that began through IVF.
While the IVF industry has indeed brought life to many babies and families over the years, the number of lives it has ended too soon, is far higher. This leads me to conclude that the IVF industry does not, in fact, “love life” in the way that pro-life supporters do. Instead, it often operates as a profit-driven enterprise that preys on the deep longing and vulnerability of couples who desperately want a family and feel they have no other options.
Couples who feel they are in this boat, should instead explore natural approaches to overcoming infertility, such as working with Fertility Care Practitioners who offer Restorative Reproductive Medicine. These practitioners work one-on-one with couples to identify and address the root causes of infertility using natural, restorative methods rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution of artificial implantation.
I know, from personal experience, how challenging it can be to want a baby and face disappointment again and again. I also know the heartbreak of miscarriage and how desperate one can feel when a longed-for dream seems out of reach. But I believe that seeking natural, restorative help, and trusting that everything happens in its right time, is the truest way to honor life at every stage.