Embryo harvesting also known as in vitro fertilization is a process in which the sperm of a man or male and the egg of the female are fertilized outside the body and then implanted into the womb of a woman in a bid to induce pregnancy (Gaines, 2015). While from a descriptive process it seems to be a straight forward process, there are many complications and medical procedures that are utilized to actualize the results such as the hormone therapy that the woman receiving the embryo has to undergo prior to the actual process. The ethical and moral issues surrounding embryo harvesting generates controversy and sentiments especially within the spiritual and religious worlds (Gaines, 2015).
In seeking to understand a Christian perspective of the ethics and morals that surround embryo harvesting, I interviewed one Mr. TS, a Reverend in one of the Methodist churches within North Carolina. I first inquired to know his view and the general Christian view on Embryo harvesting. Mr. TS stated that the inventions in science and the impact of technology have significantly ruined the Godly values that we all should hold as humans. He says that life is given and taken by God and that God decides who can participant in recreation and those who cannot each time and in each event with a reason. Therefore, the concept of embryo harvesting contradicts the very laws that guide the Christian perspective on reproduction and recreation and our role as humans. I further inquired to know whether it is right for children conceived and born out of embryo harvesting should be informed of how they came to being and that their biological composition.
Reverend TS insists that while it is initially wrong to approve of embryo harvesting, parents have a moral responsibility to inform their children how they came to being and even be open enough to exploring the reasons why this was done. It is right seeking solutions to those issues that are pressing at a personal level and therefore, the church has no authority when it comes to matters of the heart and personal desire, according to the Reverend. However, in the instance where life is involved and identities are in questionable state, parents in such plans should not allow their children to live a life where they do not know the truth. In any case, Mr. TS notes that the very decision to have embryo harvesting as a solution implies an inner acceptance that it is right and thus no fear should occur when telling it to the children. In the Reverend’s perspective, if the parents feel that they are doing it wrong by disclosing to the child, they can be sure that whatever they did is morally wrong and unethical, otherwise they should stand by their decision.
References
Gaines, C. (2015). Embryo Adoption: An Opportunity for Life. CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics, 8(2), 3.
