It only hurts unofficially

by Ken Mosesian

Monseigneur Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, who heads the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for LIfe, spoke with the Italian news agency ANSA this week.  He commented about the Nobel Prize for Medicine being awarded to Professor Robert G. Edwards, one of the key inventors of IVF, and called the selection, among other things, "completely out of place." After the interview he clarified that those remarks represented his personal opinion, and they were not the official statement of the Pontifical Academy for Life. 

Later, in a written statement, Monseigneur de Paula acknowledged that IVF "ushered in a new and important chapter in the field of human reproduction in which the best results are visible to everyone, beginning with Louise Brown." 

Continuing, he said that "without Edwards there wouldn't be a market for oocytes, without Edwards there wouldn't be freezers full of embryos waiting to be transferred in utero or, more likely, to be used for research or to die abandoned and forgotten by everyone."

Numerous callers have weighed in on this over the past couple of days, reminding me of the power and influence of religion in the area of fertility. It also reminded me that most people don't look for the nuance in statements from the Vatican. Yes, IVF is condemned by the Church. But notice that Monseigneur de Paula also identified Louise Brown as one of the visible "best results" of the technology. "Hmm..." I thought. "Why would he say something positive?" 

We could argue the Vatican's stance and the ways in which statements are nuanced from now until the end of time, but that's truly not the point of this blog. I told one of the callers who was quoting the unofficial press interview before the statement was issued, to not take the comments too seriously. "They're unofficial" I said, trying to comfort her. "Oh, in that case it only hurts unofficially," she said.  I got it. 

Even those who identified themselves as "fallen away" Catholics still felt stung by the statement. "Why was it even necessary" one asked. "We know where the Church stands." Another said that she thought so little of the hierarchy of the Church given the ongoing and widening child abuse scandal, that she was amazed that she even cared about what they had to say. But she did. "It's still my Church. The Church of my parents and grandparents. And I keep hoping for compassion. It's my child they're talking about."

What I can offer you is this: if you are a Catholic, talk with your Pastor about your feelings. If you're able, "come out" to your Pastor if your child was born as a result of IVF or if you are currently in treatment. Changing hearts and minds is the most effective means to ultimately changing laws. And in the mean time, it's the best way to channel any anger you may have over this issue. 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Bill Petok]

Well said, Ken.