Fertility Treatments & Religion

Many church leaders will say couples pursuing fertility treatments are playing God or that are interfering with God’s plan. That if God wanted them to have children then they would not have to resort to Science. Forgetting though that infertility is a medical condition and not a spiritual condition and jut like any other medical condition it needs to be treated the say way.

I am a Catholic girl, I was born Catholic, raised a Catholic and still a practising one. My own position however is that although Science will it make it possible, God will make it happen. If it was God’s will for certain people not to bear children, then why give man the ability to come up with a way so that people struggling with fertility issues are able to have children? God put resources for us to discover, improve and develop to overcome many diseases and disabilities.

There are a few chapters in the bible which show how infertility has been a source of deep sorrow for so many, mostly women in the human history (Genesis 11:30-32, 16:1, 21:1-7, 1 Samuel 2-18, Luke1:7) With most overcoming it and bringing so much joy.

I strongly felt a desire to create life, and believed God was the ultimate giver of life. However, I knew without ’functioning fallopian tubes’ the desire to create life naturally was not possible for me and I had to think of other options. An argument could be , if your fallopian tubes failed maybe it was a sign from God to stop trying, but would we say the same with someone with a pacemaker to assist their failing heart?

Infertility is not a choice, it is a disease that in SA 1 in 6 couples experience and like any other disease it’s something that one can try to treat with medication or other interventions. It is not easy, it does not come cheap, it drains one emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. For some the option to adopt might be easy and a logical step but for others it is not. Some people yearn to see their genes come to life.

Infertility can be very traumatic for couples. The array of technologies offered can be confusing. Decisions about which technologies to use take a great deal of emotional, mental and spiritual effort. Religion should not add to the madness. For me there are several ways a couple can be supported by their loved ones and the church.…….

Be informed

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I would like to hear your story or your take about this topic… let’s engage