Biblical Perspective on IVF and Surrogacy: Them Before Us

I have been pondering the topic of IVF and surrogacy for several years, especially as I have seen more couples in real life using these methods. It is not just for rich celebrities anymore. As I grew curious, I began seeking out Christian perspectives on these matters. Women like Alli Beth Stuckey a conservative Christian podcaster, Lila Rose an anti-abortion activist, and Katie Faust a children’s rights advocate have all stepped up and bravely spoken the truth about a very heated and triggering topic. These women’s hearts are to advocate for children, the unborn, and those entering families through IVF, surrogacy, or adoption.

For those who are unfamiliar IVF, or in vitro fertilization, is a medical procedure used to help individuals or couples conceive a child. It involves retrieving eggs from a woman’s ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a laboratory setting. The fertilized eggs, now called embryos, are then monitored for development before one or more are implanted into the woman’s uterus with the hope of achieving a successful pregnancy. Surrogacy is a method of assisted reproduction in which a woman, known as the surrogate, carries and gives birth to a child for another individual or couple, who are often referred to as the intended parents. In surrogacy arrangements, the intended parents may use their eggs and sperm, or they might use donor eggs and sperm. There are two main types of surrogacies. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is also the biological mother of the child. The surrogate’s eggs are fertilized by the intended father’s sperm (or donor sperm), often through artificial insemination. The second type is gestational surrogacy, in which the surrogate carries a baby conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), using the eggs and sperm of the intended parents or donors. The surrogate has no genetic link to the child in this case.

So how should Christians view IVF, adoption, and surrogacy? The truth is very unpopular and that is children’s rights should be elevated above adults. This does not mean adults should give children everything they want making them spoiled and entitled. There are some concrete nonnegotiables around who children are and what they need. Children have fundamental natural rights. The top two are the right to life and their right to be known and loved by the two people responsible for their existence. Children have a right to life from the moment of conception, they have a right to their mother and father, they have a right to be born free not bought and sold. As adults, we must sacrifice for children and never let children sacrifice for adults.

Adult’s wants should never come at the expense of the fundamental rights and needs of children. IVF and surrogacy can create loss for children. Often it is used for gay couples wanting a child. Unfortunately, the reality is when you see a child with two moms you are seeing a child who lost their father. When you see a child with two fathers you are seeing a child with no mother. Contrary to societal belief children care about having their biological mother and father in their life.

Christians are called to be the defenders of the weak and needy. Psalm 82:3-4 exhorts, “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.” Here, the psalmist calls for active intervention on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, reflecting God’s commitment to justice. The strong are always supposed to sacrifice and protect the weak, this is a biblical mandate. For example, in an unplanned pregnancy, the strong must reorientate their life to protect the weak, the unborn.

Married biological mother and father is ideal and written in God’s law, even social science research backs this. Any other form of family is going to involve some level of loss for children. Adoption begins with loss but it is the strong sacrificing for the weak. That is why God uses adoption to illustrate His relationship with us. Adoption is difficult but it needs to be hard because adoptive parents need to do hard things: they need screenings, background checks, home studies, references, vetting, training, and supervision. This is because unrelated adults are statistically more dangerous for children. Surrogacy and reproductive technologies are forcing the weak (the baby) to sacrifice for the adults who are paying a business. Surrogacy and IVF is not another form of adoption. From the perspective of the child, they are the exact opposite.

IVF destroys roughly four times the number of lives as planned parenthood. This is because life begins at conception when the sperm and egg meet and form an embryo. Many embryos are destroyed in the IVF process. In adoption, not everyone who wants a child will get one and the child won’t always meet their specifications like during IVF which caters to the customer (the parent) using tools such as sex selection, genetic screening, or grading of embryos. In adoption, the child is the client with the intent that the child will get the parents they need. The goal is to cater to the needs of the child and not the desires of the adults. We don’t know, but there are somewhere, between 1 and 10 million frozen embryos in America. These embryos have been abandoned by the parents, some get destroyed, some get donated for research, and only some will be adopted. Embryo adoption might be a morally acceptable exception. In this situation, the adopted parents should still go through the adoption process to make sure they will be fit parents.

Several countries enforce comprehensive bans on surrogacy, forbidding both commercial and altruistic arrangements. One of the primary reasons for banning surrogacy is the ethical concern that it commodifies the human body and turns reproduction into a transaction. Critics argue that surrogacy exploits vulnerable women driving poor women to rent out their wombs for wealthier couples. Though I agree with this argument my main concern is for the infant. Questions arise about the psychological impact on children who are separated from their birth mothers immediately after birth. Even when the birth mom is not the biological parent the infant is most familiar with her. The infant can smell the mom and even recognize her voice from being in the womb for 9 months. Did you know that even though a puppy can be bottle-fed from birth 22 states outlaw the selling of puppies before 8 weeks? Another huge concern with surrogacy is child trafficking. International surrogacy has raised concerns about child trafficking and exploitation. When surrogacy is banned domestically, individuals often turn to countries with lax regulations, creating opportunities for abuse and exploitation.

Some Christians believe they can implement pro-life IVF. This is where all embryos are given a chance at life, and parents attempt to implant all that are created. The problem with this logic is that life is unpredictable. The mother may get cancer or pass away what then would happen to the unused embryos on ice? The couple might end up with more embryos than they thought. Often the doctors will pressure the couple to grade the embryos and destroy some. There are many more situations that make IVF difficult if not impossible for pro-life couples.

We must always put the welfare of children and infants above adults. IVF and surrogacy are not the answer to the decline in fertility in America. We must seek God and look to other means for healing. Big fertility is taking advantage of desperate adults looking for help and creating loss for the weak and vulnerable. Our God is a God of mercy and forgiveness. If you have used IVF or surrogacy there is forgiveness in Christ. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 We have all needed God’s forgiveness and mercy in our lives. I also want to make it clear that any child born from IVF or surrogacy is still a blessing and an image bearer of God.