“I think they should be allowed to die and go to the Lord. I don’t believe IVF is morally permissible.”
-Random Internet Christian
Objection, your honor. Relevance.
A divisive issue and a unifying truth
There are wildly varying opinions on whether IVF is a good idea. Some people have taken it so far as to advocate against embryo adoption. They would say it isn’t possible to adopt without supporting IVF. That isn’t true, but we’ll talk about that another day.
The fact is, the moral dilemmas often raised by IVF procedures are irrelevant to embryo adoption. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater………literally! It’s not the same thing. (5 Differences between IVF and Embryo Adoption You Should Know.)
But here is a truth that all of us need to get behind as followers of Christ: Children in their earliest stages–frozen embryos–are entitled to conditions conducive to the continuation of their lives.
And I’ll take that one step further. To argue against providing children in their earliest stages with conditions conducive to the continuation of their lives via embryo adoption is to propose murder as the solution to the problem of their existence. Sorry, I know that was a mouth full.
Why? Because according to law, intent matters when a living human becomes non-living by the hand of another. The only option that does not result in an embryo’s intentional death is adoption.
Don’t get me wrong
Please don’t hear what I am not saying. I’m not saying that every time an embryo passes away, someone is to blame. What I am attempting to define is the intent and purpose behind our actions. Life should be revered and honored, not intentionally and purposfully disposed of.
Why? Because the Bible says God MADE us in His image. And He also has this thing about not murdering. This is important to Him!
3 Reasons why embryos deserve conditions conducive to life
We’ve already opened Pandora’s box. These tiny humans are here. “Sending them to Jesus” doesn’t turn the clock back to undo their lives or existence on earth. The very fact that they do exist screams the intricate workings of God’s hand. Which leads us to some solid reasons why they are entitled to the conditions conducive to life through embryo adoption.
One, if you know anything about IVF and the statistics, you know the ones who live are precious miracles. Every child is a blessing, no matter how they got here. They are living testimonies of God’s goodness to us.
Two, if you know anything about your Bible, you know God was intimately involved in the creation of every embryo. The idea that we would willfully terminate an innocent life God created should be abhorrent.
Three, if you know a little about biology, you know that embryos are very small human beings. All they require are the right conditions and a little time to look like you and me! There are a million reasons why they shouldn’t have made it this far in their development. As many as 50% of IVF-created embryos will die before they reach day 5. Although life is fragile at this stage, it deserves as much dignity and honor as yours or mine.
- Every child is a blessing
- God created them
- Embryos are very small humans
“Let them go to heaven” is worse than it sounds.
Because of these three points, there is another less soft but more biologically accurate way to say “They should be allowed to die and go to the Lord.” And that is: “We should end their lives by depriving them of the conditions to continue development.” Follow that up with a sprinkle of the hope of heaven. The previous part of the sentence sounds less gruesome if we’re sending them to the Lord. Because what’s more fab than a free ticket to heaven, right?
If heaven is best, why is embryo adoption better?
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for heaven. The older I get and the more loss and sadness I see, the more I long for it. I’m not going to pretend I fully understand why God does the things He does to allow us to live the lives we do. But here is what I do know: The Bible says God designed our lives with purpose and intention to reflect His character and share His glory.
He created us with free will to choose a relationship with Him—or not. Deut 30:19. He blessed us to be fruitful and multiply. He provided us with a sacred calling to rule and steward earth. Gen 1:28 This life is preparing us for eternity, even the refining fire we walk through shapes us for deeply satisfying fellowship with Christ—now, and for eternity. Rom 5:3-4 We are called to be demonstrators of Christ’s love toward a fallen and cursed world.
What an amazing gift, to live as the extension of God’s love to others. We are kind of like living band-aids, healing and holding creation together until Jesus comes back. What an opportunity. We have the chance to testify to His miraculous work in our lives. Even as we suffer, we become more like Jesus. I think this is what Paul was getting at when He said “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” It’s a win-win. We can’t lose. How blessed are we?!
But how sad that there are Christians out there who consider this life of such little value as to terminate it prematurely, or to advocate that someone else should.
Well, well, well, how the turntables…….
I just wonder how you might feel if I took the initiative to decide for you today that heaven is a better place for you. Hopefully, you’d say I was nuts. And you’d probably advise me to reconsider, since I look terrible in orange. You’d remind me you have too many irons in the fire to kick the bucket at the moment.
Is it right for us to choose for the innocent and voiceless whether they get the opportunity to live? Will we rob our littlest neighbors of the enjoyment of Christ and the profoundly rich purposes He created them for on earth? I hope not!
Too holy for embryo adoption? You might be suffering from a sodium deficiency.
As you can see, the complications with a “let them die” philosophy are profuse. If you believe in life at conception, there is nothing Christ-like about it. A frozen embryo is a 5 day old human, science confirms. If you advocate for the intentional disposal of these millions of small humans on ice, you must also support abortion. If life is aimless and purposeless, you could argue you’re just giving the unborn a free ticket to heaven.
Heaven forbid, Christians involve themselves in the messiness of a suffering world. Don’t even think about offering your body as a living sacrifice; it is much too sacred. You are too holy to help.
If the details of an embryo’s conception through IVF prevent you from adopting, you might as well just say it. You believe adoption is no longer the loving option; death is.
I’m not tasting the salt in your saltiness, friend! And Jesus didn’t have any kind words to say about unsalty salt! Not everyone is called to embryo adoption, but everyone can and should advocate for the lives of these little ones.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Matthew 5:13-14
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
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