by Facing infertility, Amanda and Jeff Walker had a baby through in vitro fertilization but were left with extra embryos – and questions. “Tori and Sam Earle adopted an embryo that had been frozen 20 years earlier by another couple. Matthew Eppinette and his wife chose not to undergo IVF out of ethical concerns and have no children of their own.
They are all guided by a strong Christian faith and believe that life begins at or around conception. They all had the same weighty questions: How do you raise a family in a way that fits your beliefs? Is IVF an ethical choice, especially if it creates more embryos than a couple can use?
“We live in a world that tries to be black and white on the subject,” said Tori Earle. “It’s not a black-and-white issue.”
The dilemma reflects the age-old friction between faith and science at the heart of the recent IVF controversy in Alabama, where the state Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos have the legal status of children.
The ruling – which ruled out a lawsuit over the accidental destruction of embryos – caused major clinics to suspend IVF services, sparking a backlash. State leaders devised a temporary solution that shielded clinics from liability. Concerns about the future of IVF have prompted US senators from both parties to propose bills aimed at protecting IVF across the country.
Laurie Zoloth, a professor of religion and ethics at the University of Chicago, said that arguments about this modern medical procedure relate to two ideas that are fundamental to American democracy: freedom of religion and who counts as a whole person.
“People have different ideas about what it means to be a person,” said Zoloth, who is Jewish. “And it’s not a political issue. It’s really a religious issue.”
For many evangelicals, IVF can be problematic. The process is “fundamentally unnatural,” and there are concerns about the “dignity of human embryos,” said Jason Thacker, an ethicist who directs a research institute at the Southern Baptist Convention.
“I’m pro-family and pro-life,” he said. “But just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should.”
Kelly and Alex Pelsor of Indianapolis turned to a fertility specialist after trying to have children naturally for two years. Doctors recommended IVF, which accounts for about 2% of births in the US
“I was really scared, honestly,” said Pelsor, who believes life begins immediately after conception. “I didn’t know which way to go.”
Pelsor and her husband prayed. She began attending a Christian infertility support group, and decided to proceed with IVF. His daughter was born in March 2022.
“I truly believe she’s a miracle from God,” said Pelsor, 37. “She wouldn’t be here without IVF.”
Pelsor later carried an embryo that was left after it was transferred. So she didn’t have to personally deal with what to do with extras.
Amanda Walker of Albuquerque, New Mexico did.
She and her husband turned to IVF after five years of trying and miscarrying.
She ended up with 10 embryos. She spent five miscarried. She had three children: an 8-year-old daughter and twins who will be 3 years old in July.
That left her with two more, which she resented and prayed about.
“We didn’t want to destroy them,” said Walker, 42. “We believe they are children.”
Matthew Eppinette, a bioethicist, says he hears many similar stories.
Couples tell him, “‘We went into the process, and we had these frozen embryos, and we never realized we had to make decisions about this,'” said Eppinette, executive director of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity at Trinity International University, an evangelical school located in Illinois. He said the church and the medical community should do more to educate people about IVF.
Dr. John Storment, a reproductive endocrinologist in Lafayette, Louisiana, said there are ways to minimize the risk of extra embryos. For example, doctors can give medication that stimulates a smaller ovary, or they can only fertilize two or three eggs. These adjustments can add about $5,000 to the usual $15,000 to $25,000 for an IVF round.
Religious scholars say that the issue of IVF has not been sufficiently researched among evangelical Protestants, who do not have a clear position against the procedure adopted by the Catholic Church.
However, Eppinette said most evangelical leaders would advise couples to create only as many embryos as they will use.
In his own life, Eppinette said he and his wife were unwilling to try IVF when they were facing infertility.
Some couples find an answer regarding embryo adoption. Snowflakes, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, has offered this service to more than 9,000 families since 1997, with more than 1,170 births. Executive Director Elizabeth Button said they received an influx of inquiries after the Alabama ruling.
For the Walkers, Snowflakes offered a perfect solution. They chose an open adoption which allowed them to get to know the family that was adopting their embryos.
The adoptive mother carried one child but gave birth to a daughter with the other. Both families contact the base weekly and plan vacations together.
Couples on the other side of the adoption arrangement say it was a good solution for them too.
Before Snowflakes was discovered, the Earles of Lakeland, Florida, had struggled with infertility for years and were considering traditional adoption. IVF was not an option due to concerns about remaining embryos.
“We asked the Lord to lead us kindly,” said Tori, 30, who belongs to a Baptist church.
They took 13 embryos that had been frozen for 20 years. One became their daughter Novalie, born last April. They hope to have three or four more children with the remaining embryos, knowing that not all will grow into children.
“God can use everything for His glory,” said Sam Earle, 30. “There’s definitely an aspect you consider with IVF: the ethics of freezing more embryos than you need . .. But for families struggling with infertility, it’s a beautiful opportunity. “
Amanda and Ryan Visser of Sterling, Colorado feel the same way. When they faced infertility after having a child naturally 14 years ago, they were uncomfortable about IVF. “At some point,” Ryan said, “you feel like you’re playing God too much.”
They fostered and adopted two children, and later heard about Snowflakes. They adopted three embryos. Two became twin boys, born in October. They plan to use or donate the one they have left.
“God creates families in so many ways,” Amanda, 42, said.
Several Christians who have faced infertility said they support the Alabama court’s ruling. Amanda Visser said she hopes it “paves the way for more states to consider the dignity of human embryos.”
Still, no couple said IVF should be stopped, although some wondered if more regulation or education is needed.
Even among Christians who see embryos as precious lives, there is a complex spectrum of opinion. Kelly Pelsor, for one, doesn’t want to see IVF threatened anywhere.
“When clinics started to stop their services and it looked uncertain for a moment, it broke my heart, because for many people, this is an opportunity to have a baby,” said Pelsor.
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Hungary reported from Louisville, Kentucky; Stanley from Washington, DC. Religion writer Peter Smith of Pittsburgh helped.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Section is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science and Media Education Group. Associated Press religion coverage is supported by the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this matter.
