IVF - A Catholic Man's Perspective

 This guest post is from Duncan Lisesky, Regent Law 2L and current Family Law student:

 

I will freely admit that I thought I was conceived the “traditional” way. It wasn’t until I was around 15, that my parents told me that my conception, as well as that of my older sister, was not “traditional.” That’s right, I am one of those IVF (in vitro fertilization) Babies. Even though I was told that at around age 15, I did not fully understand until I was out of high school.

The Catholic Church has not always been accepting of the practice of In Vitro Fertilization. That said, I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, and still embrace my faith now. Once my mother fully explained to me what IVF was, it reassured me that not only did my parents want children but showed me what they were willing to endure to have their own family. It also showed me that God had a plan, from before I was even conceived.

IVF was a laborious process back in the early 1990’s. $7000 for the initial consultation. $1500 for the frozen embryos. $1600 in prescriptions. Weekly injections and ultra-sounds. Daily scans to check for viable candidates. Once all that was done, they found around a dozen eggs that were viable. Of that dozen, three were implanted, and one was successful, resulting in my older sister. The rest were frozen for $150 a month for twelve months. Once my sister was born, they implanted three more, which is where I came from. The freezing process cost my parents $5000. Yet all this, the financial hardship, the mental, physical, and emotional strain, was worth it to my parents to start their family.

The Catholic Church has always shown a preference for natural conception. After all, things like IVF weren’t possible until recent history. That said, God, as a true shepherd, finds a way to grow and protect his flock. My sister and I were the ones he chose to breathe life into, and it fills my heart with hope every day knowing that he has a plan for me, otherwise I wouldn’t be here writing this blog post.  

Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” This truth is just as applicable to IVF Babies like me, and we are just as valuable in his sight. In the end, I want to start a family of my own one day, and if God allows me to, I will endure any hardships required to start that family.