8.95. What’s wrong with IVF? Isn’t God pro-life and happy when couples have children? Vatican II Catholics seem to support it.
It is good to desire children. But we must desire them in the way God designed. In vitro fertilization (IVF) may produce a living child, but it does so by sinful and unnatural means—separating conception from the marital act, freezing or discarding embryos, and often involving mortal sins such as masturbation, embryo selection, and surrogacy.
The true Catholic Church teaches infallibly that the ends of marriage—procreation and union—must never be separated. IVF is not “pro-life”—it is a violation of the dignity of human life, because it treats children as products of technology, not as the fruit of holy matrimony.
Below is a comparison between the true Catholic teaching on procreation and the Vatican II tolerance of IVF under the guise of compassion.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Vatican II / Modern View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Procreation | Must occur only through the marital act, open to life | Allowed to be separated from marital intimacy “for good reasons” | IVF severs the unitive and procreative ends—condemned by Church |
| Human Life | Each child is a gift from God, not a product to be made | Children are seen as a “right” or a goal of science | Desiring a child doesn’t justify violating moral law |
| Embryo Destruction | Every embryo is a human person with a soul | Embryos are discarded, frozen, or used for research | “Thou shalt not kill” applies to every human life from conception |
| Sexual Morality | Masturbation and artificial conception are intrinsically evil | Overlooked or accepted for IVF “success” | The ends don’t justify the means—ever |
| Church Teaching | IVF condemned in *Donum Vitae* (1987), rooted in prior Catholic moral theology | Rarely preached; tolerated in practice by Novus Ordo clergy | Official statements are ignored; laity remain uninformed |
| Marriage | Children are the fruit of the marital union, not manufactured | Marriage redefined around feelings or “rights” to a child | True marriage submits to God’s design, not man’s manipulation |
| Fruits | Sanctity, humility, openness to God’s will | Emotionalism, pride, and commodification of life | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
God is pro-life, but that means life according to His law, not man’s inventions. IVF is not holy—it is a grave sin that offends the dignity of marriage, the sanctity of life, and the natural order God established.
The Vatican II sect, by embracing modernity and emotionalism, has allowed many Catholics to accept IVF without guilt—failing to teach the truth, and thus failing souls.
As Pope Pius XII taught:
“To create new life outside the conjugal act is to usurp the role of the Creator.”
True Catholics must reject IVF—not because we reject life, but because we revere it too deeply to allow it to be manipulated, bought, or discarded.
Further reading:
Clean Love in Courtship by Fr. L.G. Lovasik, S.V.D
Casti Connubii (On Christian Marriage) by Pope Pius XI (1930)