Posted on 02/20/2025 7:44:07 PM PST by Morgana
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order issued on Tuesday to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), pro-life organizations and advocates are expressing concerns over the destruction of embryonic human life that the process involves, highlighting alternative fertility treatments that are more effective, and encouraging guardrails to be put in place regulating the IVF industry and ensuring that conscience protections are established.
Trump’s executive order, entitled “Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization,” argues that “Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000. Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help [infertile] families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence.” The order goes on to instruct the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy to “submit to the President a list of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment” within 90 days.
Numerous pro-life organizations and advocates quickly issued warnings about ethical concerns over IVF in response to Trump’s EO.
“Only 7% of human embryos created via IVF will result in a live birth,” Live Action President Lila Rose posted on X. “93% of these lives are frozen indefinitely, miscarried, or aborted. Over 1,000,000 embryos are frozen in the U.S. IVF is NOT pro-life.”
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America also voiced caution over IVF procedures. “SBA Pro-Life America does not object to ethical fertility treatments paired with strong medical safety standards that help couples struggling with infertility,” they wrote on X. “We also believe human embryos should not be destroyed. Rogue practitioners who switch human embryos, fail to follow basic safety standards, or negligently destroy human embryos desired by infertile couples must be held to account under any federal role in fertility treatment.”
Pro-life advocate and commentator Allie Beth Stuckey additionally expressed several concerns over IVF. “We don’t need to incentivize IVF, which kills more innocent humans tha[n] abortion each year,” she posted. “America is already the wild, Wild West of reproductive technology. Europe & Canada have much better protections for the little lives created through in vitro. Here, eugenics and embryonic destruction & cryopreservation is rampant. No one is entitled to a baby. How we create new life matters.”
Shortly after the EO was issued, the Trump White House apparently signaled that it will likely work with pro-life organizations to formulate IVF policy recommendations for the president. Daily Wire Senior Reporter Mary Margaret Olohan posted on X Tuesday that she “asked the White House about concerns regarding conscience protections for religious Americans who object to IVF + concerns about the discarding of embryos. WH official pointed out to me that the EO calls for policy recommendations, said part of that process will include getting input from the Hill and other stakeholders, including pro-life groups.”
Last October, Trump also remarked during an interview that he would be open to exemptions for religious organizations and businesses that are against IVF. “It sounds, to me, like a pretty good idea, frankly. ... [C]ertainly if there’s a religious problem, I think people should go with that. … We’ll look at that.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins highlighted the inherent dangers present in IVF for exploitation. “The creation of a marketplace for human gametes has transformed the gift of life into a transaction, severing the natural connection between parents and children, and creating an opening for human exploitation,” he noted. “Children are gifts from God, not commodities; and in upholding that truth, we also affirm the importance of careful scientific and ethical oversight to protect these lives at their most vulnerable stages.”
Perkins further emphasized FRC’s willingness to aid the Trump administration in forming ethically and morally sound policies to combat infertility.
“The Trump administration can address the infertility crisis in America in a way that is morally and scientifically sound, enabling many more Americans to experience the beautiful gift of children,” he remarked. “Family Research Council looks forward to working with the Trump administration and Congress to shape policies based upon the best practices — both nationally and internationally — to address infertility in a way that honors God and the gift of life He has given us.”
Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, encouraged a highly wary approach toward IVF, telling The Washington Stand that the protection of unborn children must be the focal point of IVF public policy.
“President Trump has always been a defender of the weak and the vulnerable,” she noted. “[Tuesday] night’s executive order lamented the heartbreak caused by infertility and requested policy recommendations for protecting IVF and lowering the cost of the process for Americans. As the Trump administration’s domestic policy team works through their recommendations, it is my hope that they will remain consistent in their efforts to protect unborn children.”
Szoch continued, “While IVF has resulted in the blessing of many children being born, we must also recognize that the process has destroyed many more lives, while leaving countless others to an uncertain fate in a freezer. Far from respecting the dignity of all involved, IVF exploits the good and godly desire parents have for a child and pads the wallets of the IVF industry’s executives while doing so. The industry engages in eugenic testing, treats unborn life as disposable, and does nothing to address the underlying cause of a couple’s infertility.”
Szoch went on to highlight the work being done in restorative reproductive medicine as an alternative for couples struggling with infertility, including NaPro Technology. A listing of centers around the U.S. and the world that offer restorative reproductive medicine can be found here.
“Restorative reproductive medicine, on the other hand, aims to treat the underlying health issues that cause a couple to experience infertility,” she explained. “It works to make Americans healthy, and as a result, restorative reproductive medicine is far more successful than IVF in helping couples carry a child to term. The beautiful thing is that it does this while respecting the dignity of all persons involved.” According to studies, only about 40% of IVF cycles result in a live birth for women under the age of 35, and the percentage drops significantly for women over 35.
“If we are going to address the infertility crisis in this country, which is certainly at the heart of what President Trump is trying to do, we should ensure that we are actually treating the root cause of infertility,” Szoch concluded. “President Trump has always been a defender of life and the family. My hope is that the policies that result from the executive order prioritize protecting the dignity of the unborn and their parents and making Americans healthy again.”
This is foolish. The pro-life movement is one of his most faithful supporters. This is a stab in the back to not listen to their concerns.
“Only 7% of human embryos created via IVF will result in a live birth,”
The number is surely much lower than that.
This is a huge blind spot for non-Catholics.
Even many if not most Catholics are not sensitive to this issue.
Serrapeptase: when you absolutely, positively, have to get knocked up.
Go read the reviews on Amazon.
So I asked AI “how many ivf embryos does it take to get one live birth?”
Here is what it said:
AI Overview
On average, it can take one to three or more IVF embryos to achieve a live birth, with the exact number depending on factors like the woman’s age and the quality of the embryos; however, the live birth rate per embryo transferred is typically around 20-30%, meaning that multiple transfers may be needed to achieve a successful pregnancy.
Key points to consider:
Age matters: Younger women generally have higher success rates per embryo transfer compared to older women.
Embryo quality: Only high-quality embryos are likely to result in a live birth.
Multiple transfers: Many IVF cycles require multiple embryo transfers to achieve a live birth.
Single embryo transfer: In many cases, especially for younger women, doctors may recommend transferring only one embryo to minimize the risk of multiple births.
*************************************************************
Notice under “Multiple transfers” so they may transfer how many? 2? 3? just to get one? They are playing God.
Also...who are they to determine what a “quality embryo” is????
I’m just an embryo .... with a long, long way to go!
Remember the Harris adds that claimed Trump was going to take away IVF from women.
The AI output needs to include a discussion of the widespread practice of so-called “selective reduction” within the IVF process.
One of the extremely rare issues I disagree with President Trump on. He is getting bad advice from someone on this.
Multiple transfers. That sounds like what happened with
Octo-Mom
Remember her? She was and still is a single mother who wanted to “achieve her dream ‘ of having a house full of children. Many people blamed her doctor, who transferred all those embryos within her, even if was obvious that this young woman was not mentally wrapped too tightly.
Ok, not with him on this one.
All it proves is hes not always right, which all of us knew from some issue at some point, and that we never said he was perfect.
On the whole, fantastically incredible first month.
Fertilize 3 - tranfer 3.
Scientists say that half the embryos never advance any farther and are lost, never implanted in the uterus.
“Only 7% of human embryos created via IVF will result in a live birth,”
The number is surely much lower than that.
////////
I don’t understand this concern. In natural fertilization, millions of sperms die. Only one makes it. sperm and egg meet and greet. That’s conception.
that’s a good month.
but most months the egg dies because no sperm came or if they did—they missed. Most months millions of sperm just die.
why is this a happier more ethical place than
either of these scenarios:
“Only 7% of human embryos created via IVF will result in a live birth,”
The number is surely much lower than that.
God creates.
Man merely procreates.
How it’s done matters.
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