On October 16th, President Trump announced his plan to expand access to IVF by lowering costs and increasing access to In Vitro Fertilization and fertility treatments. The US Bishops responded with a short statement condemning this expansion as a “harmful government action” that might push people of faith “to be complicit in its evils”.
As we explored in a previous newsletter article, IVF is an illicit means to assist the reproductive process. Children are meant to be received as gifts from God, not products of our own will and manufacturing. They are not meant to be discarded, biologically scrutinized, or frozen for future use. Spouses are also meant to carry out the sexual act in total fidelity. IVF violates that fidelity by inviting a third party into their union, while also serving to depersonalize the spouses who become little more than objects needed for their biological matter. As mentioned in the article above, there are other ways to help couples conceive that honor the spouses and children, while also being cheaper and more effective.
Despite these teachings, a 2025 Pew Research study found that a staggering 83% of Catholics think the Church should allow couples to use IVF to get pregnant, and 71% of those who agree attend Mass weekly. While these stats are alarming, they should be balanced by the reality that, according to the CDC, one in five couples experience infertility. This reveals that it is not necessarily the case that those Catholics who disagree with or misunderstand the Church’s teaching on IVF are doing so with malicious intent. More likely, they are trying to alleviate the wound of infertility, either their own or a loved one, and in doing so, seek help through well-intentioned but immoral means.
It is vital that we as a Church, and as pro-life advocates, work to communicate better resources of assistance and accompaniment for couples facing infertility. If we can reach these struggling hearts early enough, we will undoubtably prevent couples from participating in IVF.
Springs in the Desert is one such ministry that focuses on accompaniment amid infertility. This summer, while giving a presentation to pro-life diocesan leaders, they described their mission as one that focuses “not on conception but on Christ.” This focus alone is healing. So many couples struggling with infertility, even those using only licit means, find that the constant cycle of trying and waiting can be exhausting. Springs in the Desert provides an oasis for couples to find a “place of respite, solidarity, and encouragement.” Whether couples are actively working to conceive, mourning a recent loss, or simply resigned to the reality that they may never conceive, they have a place to go that honors their union and helps them accept that God’s plan for their marriage to bear fruit may look different than what they had hoped.
The Church also has a newly formed ministry available for those suffering in the aftermath of IVF. Some couples who bore children conceived via IVF come to realize, sometimes years later, that the process they used was not in line with Church teaching. It can be difficult for them to know where to turn when that happens. Shiloh IVF Ministry is there to meet couples not with “condemnation and shame,” but a spirit of accompaniment where they can experience “challenging education and spiritual growth and renewal.” Whether it’s navigating the mourning process for children lost in the IVF process or discerning what to do with frozen embryos, Shiloh offers a safe place where forgiveness, healing, and new life can be found in Christ.
While we should never stop educating people on the immorality and dangers associated with IVF, we must also be aware of the factors that drive couples to pursue it in the first place. By addressing infertility more fervently in our Churches, families, and pro-life efforts, we will be able to eliminate the perceived need for IVF altogether. And while prevention is always our goal, we know that no one is beyond God’s healing and grace. Many of us know couples who have participated in IVF. We know and love the children conceived in this fashion. Those children are still good gifts from God; nothing about the circumstances of their conception undoes their dignity. It is not our job to sit in judgment of the couples who have participated in IVF. We must walk with them in solidarity, and speak the truth in charity. When the time comes and they are ready to face honestly what they have done, we must be ready to welcome them with love and direct them to the hope and healing that can only be found in Christ and His Church.