Why Science and Faith Need Each Other by Elaine Howard Ecklund

Author:Elaine Howard Ecklund
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion and Science;Religion and science;Christianity;REL106000;SOC039000
ISBN: 9781493423774
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

Fertility, Faith, and Science

Today, more and more Christians who struggle with infertility are turning to science (alongside or as part of their faith) to seek help with conceiving. The existence of these technologies is a piece of scientists’ own creative pursuits to alleviate the suffering of infertility. In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most common and effective type of assisted reproductive technology that is used to treat infertility. During IVF, a woman’s eggs are removed from her body and mixed with sperm to form embryos (the early form of the egg and sperm after they have just joined), which are then implanted back in the woman’s body. Assisted reproductive technologies sometimes use eggs or sperm from donors, or they use previously frozen embryos. They may also involve a surrogate or gestational carrier. A surrogate provides her own eggs, while a gestational carrier “becomes pregnant with an egg from the female partner and the sperm from the male partner.”12

These technologies are not without their problems. Assisted reproductive technologies are typically not covered by insurance and can be extremely costly—an IVF cycle can cost $15,000 or more, for example, which means it is often available only to the wealthy.13 I spent thousands of dollars on fertility treatments. In churches, the fact that one is even using infertility technologies feels like it should be kept secret. Although I talked with close friends at work about my infertility and treatments, I almost never talked about these things at church. Fertility technologies also do not seem accessible to all. (During the entire time period that I went to an infertility clinic, I only saw a handful of nonwhite couples in the office waiting area, which is remarkable given that I live in the most racially and ethnically diverse city in the US.)

These technologies are nonetheless becoming more and more common. And, for many, these technologies seem like a sign of the God-given creative capacity humans have. Between 1987 and 2015, more than one million babies born in the US were conceived through the use of IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies, according to a report released in 2017 by the US Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology.14 Most churches, whether or not the leadership or congregants are aware, likely have kids running around who were born through the help of assisted reproductive technologies like IVF.

When it comes to creating new technologies that seem to construct the beginning of life, some Christians raise moral concerns about whether such technologies represent imprudent or unfettered creativity. My research shows that Christians tend to have complex feelings about assisted reproductive technologies. On the one hand, they see the benefits these technologies can afford. By helping couples dealing with infertility, these technologies have the potential to alleviate suffering. They can also help bring children into the world and church. On the other hand, there are concerns that these technologies allow scientists to “play God” and interfere with God’s will. Some Christians believe children are a blessing that should come only naturally, directly “from God and not from a test tube,” as I have heard some in churches say.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.