In a recent statement, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington addressed the moral concerns surrounding in vitro fertilization (IVF), a topic of growing debate across the United States.
Burbidge, chairing the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, stressed the inherent dignity of life from conception. “Each of our lives has immeasurable value from the moment of conception,” he said, explaining the Church’s teachings against IVF due to its ethical implications and the vast number of embryos lost or indefinitely frozen.
Amidst the increasing reliance on assisted reproductive technologies, Bishop Burbidge called for alternative ethical solutions to infertility. “We also encourage restorative, often-overlooked, treatments that can help to address the root causes of infertility,” he said.
Further, the bishop addressed the rights of children and the nature of parenthood. He said, “children have a right to be born to their married mother and father, through a personal act of self-giving love.”
The Church upholds the dignity of life at all stages, advocating for methods that align with moral teachings and respect human dignity.
“IVF, however well-intended, breaches this bond and these rights and, instead, treats human beings like products or property,” Burbidge said.
The Church’s firm opposition to the Access to Family Building Act, which would create a right to access IVF in the US, was voiced by Bishop Burbidge and other USCCB chairmen in a separate letter to the Senate as well.
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