Bioethics in Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Number 1

23 Bioethics in Faith and Practice ⦁ 2019 ⦁ Volume 4 ⦁ Number 1 insurers? If insurance covers IVF, should it also cover adoption? What does treating infertility as a disease say about the significance of reproduction? What is the role of biology in family? Conclusion The pain of infertility is a difficult reality for many couples. IVF promises great hope as a new technology that surmounts barriers never before crossed. However, many see the moral cost of this technology as severe: not only does the normalization of IVF alter the metaphysical understanding of marriage, procreation, and family, it also results in the destruction of innumerable embryos every year, small human lives that are discarded as extra and unwanted. Selective implantation, the use of donors and surrogates, new combinations of gametes and somatic cells, PGD, CRISPR, and even the use of IVF itself may shift our sails toward stormy seas. Present decisions drive future developments; short-term justifications shape long-term values. Inertia is the enemy when direction determines destination. IVF’s promise provides powerful hope, and addressing this sensitive topic requires empathy, compassion, and grace. Yet as we seek solutions to the pain of infertility, let us beware of creating new problems we are unprepared to address. In answering medical questions, we cannot stop asking ethical ones.