Thursday March 7, 2024
Defining what we call “life” may be quite different from what we may call “human.” The Alabama Supreme Court decision last month showed how messy the medical and ethical issues of IVF can be. The deep biological desire to create something out of oneself coupled with the use of words such as “barren” applied to women who fail to bear children led to the development of IVF.
Doctors note that about 10 to 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, about 80% occurring in the first three months, some not even realized as miscarriages. How do we think about those losses of “life” as opposed to early induced abortions? These are ethical issues that many of us are unsure how to address.
In response to the political fallout, Alabama scrambled to protect IVF clinics, ignoring its own 2018 constitutional amendment protecting “the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children.” The new law does not address the inherent conflict between the court decision and its provision of civil and criminal immunity to “persons providing goods and services” in IVF clinics “in certain circumstances.” Just love politics.
Prayer for the Day
Struggling with where our technological fixes leave us,
We wonder if we can rely on ancient maxims, O God;
Striving to find answers to questions of life and death,
We leapfrog into a future beyond our understanding.
Grant, O God, that we recognize the complexity of life,
As we develop new methods of creating it.
In the name of the One who always asked questions,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Providing legal rights to the unborn at any age of gestation is always going to be a legal mess.
Robin Marty, West Alabama Women’s Center
Let me say clearly: Alabama supports growing families through IVF. From protecting the unborn to supporting IVF, Alabama is proud we are a pro-life, pro-family state.
Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama on signing the bill into law
I also am mortal, like everyone else, a descendant of the first formed child of earth;
And in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh,
Within the period of ten months, compacted with blood,
From the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.
Wisdom of Solomon 7:1-2