Disclaimer: At Seven Weeks Coffee, we believe in honest conversations and the power of informed choices. This article is here to shed light on the current state of the IVF industry. We understand that every path to parenthood is unique, and if you’ve had a child through IVF, please know that we’re not here to condemn you. Our goal is to raise awareness and encourage thoughtful reflection on the broader ethical implications of this practice.
Understanding the Ethical Concerns Behind IVF
The pro-life movement is often misunderstood as simply advocating for more babies to be born. But being truly pro-life means upholding the dignity and value of every human life from conception to natural death. This includes examining reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF) through a moral and ethical lens.
IVF is widely promoted as a solution for infertility, but it comes with serious ethical concerns that conflict with pro-life principles. While the desire to have a child is natural and beautiful, the methods used in IVF often disregard the sanctity of life. Here are five key reasons why IVF is not pro-life.
1. Destruction of Embryos
IVF often involves creating multiple embryos to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. However, not all embryos are implanted. Many are discarded, indefinitely frozen, or used for scientific research, practices that directly contradict the pro-life belief that life begins at conception.
If we acknowledge that human life begins at conception, then every embryo deserves the same dignity and protection as any other human being. We would never subject a newborn to laboratory testing, freeze them until someone chooses to “use” them, or discard them based on preference. Applying this same ethical principle to embryos highlights the moral issues inherent in IVF.
2. Selective Reduction and Genetic Screening
To increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy, doctors often implant multiple embryos, which can lead to selective reduction, a euphemism for aborting one or more babies if too many successfully implant.
Additionally, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) is frequently used to screen for “undesirable” traits or potential disabilities. Embryos deemed less viable or genetically “imperfect” are often discarded. This practice directly contradicts the pro-life commitment to protecting all life, regardless of ability or perceived worth. Every embryo has the potential to grow, develop, and thrive, but with IVF, the decision of who gets to live is left to human judgment rather than the natural course of life.
3. Commodification of Human Life
IVF transforms human reproduction into a controlled, commercialized process. Embryos are graded, stored, selected, or discarded based on their perceived viability—treating human life as a product rather than a sacred gift.
This detachment from the natural order raises serious ethical concerns. Just because science allows us to manipulate life doesn’t always mean we should. This echoes the cautionary themes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, where human intervention in life’s natural processes led to unintended consequences. While IVF is not portrayed as a horror story, it raises similar questions: At what point does technological intervention go too far? What happens when life is treated as something to be engineered rather than received?
4. Exploitation of Women
Egg harvesting for IVF requires women to undergo intensive hormone treatments and invasive procedures, sometimes leading to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and long-term health risks. Additionally, financially vulnerable women are often pressured into selling their eggs or becoming surrogates, raising serious ethical concerns about exploitation.
Recent documentaries like The Man With 1,000 Kids highlight the dangers of reproductive technologies when left unchecked. The documentary exposes how one sperm donor fathered over a thousand children, creating complex and painful consequences for the families involved. Similar cases, such as Our Father, reveal fertility fraud by doctors misusing their power. These real-world examples show how IVF can lead to abuses of trust, ethical violations, and harm to both parents and children.
5. Separation of Procreation from the Marital Act
IVF removes conception from the natural, intimate process of marriage and instead places it in a laboratory setting. While this may seem like a minor distinction, it fundamentally changes the way we view the creation of life.
Natural conception is rooted in the unique connection between two individuals, an act of love that leads to new life. IVF turns reproduction into a scientific procedure, where embryos are created outside the body, selected for viability, and sometimes discarded if deemed unfit. This shift—from viewing children as a natural gift to seeing them as something that can be scheduled, manipulated, or selected—raises profound ethical and philosophical concerns.
Even from a secular standpoint, this leads to important questions: Should we be comfortable with a process that creates life in a lab, only to discard embryos deemed unworthy? Are we reducing life to something mechanical rather than something to be cherished?
The Fine Print of IVF
IVF is often marketed as a straightforward solution to infertility, promising happy families and healthy babies. But beneath these promises lie profound ethical concerns that many people are unaware of.
While the desire to have children is natural and good, we must carefully consider the means used to achieve it. Just as being pro-life means protecting the unborn from abortion, it also means recognizing the value and dignity of embryos created through IVF.
True Pro-Life Advocacy
Being pro-life is about more than increasing birth rates. It’s about defending the dignity of every human being, from conception to natural death. IVF, despite its good intentions, often contradicts this core belief by treating embryos as disposable, selecting life based on genetic “desirability,” and prioritizing success rates over ethical considerations.
As technology continues to advance, we must ask ourselves not just what is possible, but what is morally and ethically right. True respect for life means honoring the natural order of conception, embracing the gift of children as they come, and ensuring that every human being — no matter how small — is treated with the dignity they deserve.
