Update: "Frozen Embryo Adoption: Why Not?"

I received the following email response from my recent post "Frozen Embryo Adoption: Why Not?".

This is posted with permission from Edward J. Furton, M.A., Ph.D., Ethicist and Director of Publications at the National Catholic Bioethics Center.


Dear Julie:

Thank you for your comments about embryo adoption. The posting to which you were directed by Priests for Life was an initial response of The National Catholic Bioethics Center following the publication of Dignitas Personae. We initially thought that the Vatican had ruled against embryo adoption. We have since learned that this was not the case. The issue remains open for debate.

The press release of the Vatican and the talking points of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops both indicated that this remains an unsettled question. We will be adding further reflections on this topic at a later date.

Edward J. Furton, M.A., Ph.D.
Ethicist and Director of Publications
The National Catholic Bioethics Center
http://www.ncbcenter.org/
6399 Drexel Road
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151
215-877-2660 (v)
215-877-2688 (f)
blocked::mailto:efurton@ncbcenter.org
Editor of Ethics & Medics
http://www.ncbcenter.org/em/
Editor-in-Chief of The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly
http://www.ncbcenter.org/ncbq.asp

The National Catholic Bioethics Center is a non-profit research and educational institute committed to applying the moral teachings of the Catholic Church to ethical issues arising in health care and the life sciences. The Center provides consultations to institutions and individuals seeking its opinion on the appropriate application of Catholic moral teachings to these ethical issues. Neither the Center's moral analyses nor any other project of the Center should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a legal or medical opinion or otherwise to engage in the practice of law or medicine, or other health care disciplines.

-end email response-

My thanks to Dr. Furton for taking the time to respond and share that information with myself and Connecticut Catholic Corner readers. It's much appreciated.

Frozen Embryo Adoption: Why not?

Have you wondered why the Catholic Church (which is completely 100% Pro-life) has put its foot down on frozen embryo adoptions? 

This isn't about creating more embryos with IVF, but about those already created - already conceived human beings frozen at the earliest stages of human development. What happens to them depends on how people view them. Are they human beings to be adopted or just a bunch of cells to be destroyed or used for scientific experiments?

As a Catholic, I accept all the teachings of my faith and trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding my Church in all it's teachings, thus doing God's Will and not mans will. While I accept all its teachings, I sometimes fail to understand them. This is my failing and not the Church's. It's OK to question things and admit not understanding something. I know that doesn't make anyone a "bad Catholic". I accept Church authority that it must know better than I do, but wish I could better understand it when it comes to one particular issue.

The one issue that has caused me confusion is frozen embryo adoptions. I totally understand and accept the Church's teaching on in vitro fertilization (IVF), that it isn't as God planned natural conception to be (to put it simply). I get that. My confusion comes with the fact that people (regardless of their faith) have already created these embryos - frozen conceived human beings - that have two options: 1) adoption which leads to life or 2) destruction which leads to their death.

I see Catholics and other pro-lifers marching with signs that say "Abortion Kills"- well so does letting these embryos be destroyed when they could be adopted and given life. So far, hundreds of thousands of frozen embryo human beings have been given life...my Church tells me this is wrong, but I can't help but feel happy those babies were born and not destroyed. Am I wrong? How am I wrong to celebrate a life saved from destruction? I just don't understand, I really don't. I have my own wonderful children that I thank God for daily, and I am not looking to adopt any embryos...so this isn't about me personally. It's about my struggle to understand the issue as a Pro-life Catholic woman who loves her Catholic faith.

I guess I am a person who looks at things in their most basic and simplest forms. This to me, is a case of life vs death. Two options, only one gives life. But the option in this case that allows for life, is the very option my Catholic faith forbids. This is something I have a hard time with.

Recently, I emailed Priests for Life to see if they could help me understand my Catholic faith's position on this issue. Here is my email to them and the response. (I have left out the person's name who emailed me).

My Comment: I understand the Church's position on Inv. Fertilization being wrong for Catholics, but I am having a hard time understanding it in light of embryo adoption. I see in the news that frozen embryos are available for adoption (thus giving them life and also making our courts view the embryos as adoptable human beings). My thought is that the life of the child outweighs the medical process as a moral issue. If frozen embryos are in need of adoption to give them life and save them from being destroyed why doesn't the Church allow this 'exception' (if you will) based on the life of the unborn child being the most important issue here. Seems like a life vs death issue. One option allows for life, the other is certain death to the conceived human being. Can you please explain this to me? Thank you and God bless all the work you do. -end-

The response from Priests for Life:

Thank you for writing to us at Priests for Life.

For more information on embryo adoption, please read the National Catholic Bioethics Center’s reflections on Dignitas Personae at http://www.ncbcenter.org/details_news.asp?idOfEvent=421.

Please continue to keep in contact with us so that we may work together for an end to abortion. Be assured of our prayers.

Sincerely,

---- -------
Priests for Life
Outreach Associate

****
Working link: http://www.ncbcenter.org/resources/information-topic/dignitas-personae/freezing-embryos/

First my thanks to Priest for Life for responding to me so quickly and for the work they do for the unborn every day. I appreciate the link and the information it provided, but I am still hoping a Catholic priest who happens to read this post will comment and tell me in plain simple terms why its better for these embryos to be destroyed rather than given life. I want to understand and I want to be at peace with this issue, but right now I am not.

I look forward to hearing any and all thoughts on this issue, whether they agree with me or not. Thanks and may God bless you all.

~Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner~