In vitro technology: a threat to the covenant

The meaning of human sexuality, according to Catholic moral theology, can be appropriately expressed only within the confines of the marital covenant. Children in this moral perspective are created within the sphere of the marital embrace, which is expressive of conjugal intimacy and procreative power. In vitro fertilization and other artificial reproductive methods, which carry the risk of procreating new life beyond the sphere of marriage, therefore pose significant ethical questions concerning respect for life, the integrity of marriage, and the need to guide technological mastery with wisdom. Some ethicists suggest that in vitro technology may be permissible if embryo wastage is not significantly greater than during normal reproduction. Other moralists, however, recommended stronger protections for nascent life. The human embryo, they caution, should not become an object to be manipulated or used as a means to an end, even though the goal is to alleviate infertility. Concern for depersonalization, one of the chief reasons for Catholic moral teaching's objection to artificial insemination by donor, also applies to the new reproductive technologies. Ethicists have reached a wide consensus on this point, agreeing that procreation should not be divorced from the context of martial intimacy. As society deals with the problems of infertility and advances its technology, those who are involved in the new reproductive methods must also explore the ethicl issues concerned. One possible resource would be a broad-based ethics committee to advise couples, medical professionals, infertility clinics, and other agencies about the risks and possibilities of new research. Hospital ethics committees also could help resolve complex issues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)