Bioethics in Faith and Practice, Volume 2, Number 1

Bioethics in Faith and Practice ⦁ 2016 ⦁ Volume 2 ⦁ Number 1 25 personhood of embryos, embryo adoption does not create new life but rescues children who have been orphaned The Conservative Ethic espouses the standard that procreation must be reserved to the unity of married spouses within the intimacy of conjugal acts. In order to preserve their dignity and personal nature, children should have a fully human origin. In other words, it is ethically unacceptable to separate procreation from the integrally personal context of the conjugal act between a husband and wife. The Conservative Ethics advocates that any surrogacy, because the process utilizes A.R.T., takes the beginning of life out of the warmth and darkness of the maternal body to the sterile and cold environment of medical laboratory. It abolishes the intimacy of a husband and wife by substituting themwith the medical staff. During the sacred moment of conception, the parents are not even present. The child is manufactured by lab technicians and doctors or in the case of traditional surrogacy, the woman is artificially inseminated. Therefore, surrogacy, in any manner, is immoral. The Permissive Ethic, on the other hand, says that as long as due process and informed consent by informed adults is guided by proper contracts, any surrogacy is permissible. In the name of individual liberties/rights and autonomy, any adult should be able to contract with any other individual and use any alternative reproductive procedure in order to produce a child. Thus surrogacy, in any manner, is moral/ ethical. The burden of proof of the immorality of surrogacy supposedly lies with those who would limit surrogacy. The Modified Permissive Ethic recognizes that procreation must be reserved only to heterosexual couples within a marriage relationship. This ethic attempts to negotiate a middle ground by allowing for surrogacy in a limited fashion. This moral standard would permit gestational surrogacy by a third party individual provided the egg is supplied by the wife and is fertilized in vitro with the husband’s sperm. (i.e. - Gestational surrogacy with intended embryo (GS/IE); and, as long as due process and informed consent by informed adults is guided by proper contracts. The embryo is transferred into the uterus of the surrogate mother who then would gestate the child. The Modified Permissive Ethic attempts to recognize the importance of genetic and psychological relationship of a child and his/her parents. Some have proposed another ethical option for married infertile couples - Adoptive Surrogacy. Proponents of this ethical position believe that Christians should not give primary or ultimate loyalty to biological lineage of procreation. (cf. Barth’s discussion: Parents and Children ). As we have been adopted into the family of God, so must infertile couples consider their role in welcoming orphaned children. With the cost of gestational surrogacy reaching $100,000, the focus for Christian stewardship must move away from an emphasis on the creating of life and acquiring of children to the sustenance of life and the care of children. Adoptive surrogacy argues that historically, Christianity is unique. No other religion practices compassion for and care of the young, sick, orphaned, oppressed, and widowed. In many cultures throughout history, life was cheap. Infanticide was condoned and practiced for centuries and extolled. This ungodly practice was opposed by Christians. First-century art shows believers rescuing unwanted Roman babies from the Tiber River. Whereas pagans placed no value on infant life, Christians treated them as human beings. The early church viewed infanticide as the murder of a human being, not a convenient tool to rid society of unwanted children. A child, whether male, female, perfect, or imperfect, was created in the image of God and therefore had inherent value. Therefore, couples who believe God has called them to welcome children into their home should consider two adoptive surrogacy options: traditional adoption and embryo/“snowflake” adoption. Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from the child’s biological or legal parent or parents. Adoption permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from the biological parent(s) to the adoptive parent(s).