How IVF could be affected by the Southern Baptist Convention’s recent decision

Southern Baptist delegates on Wednesday expressed concern about the way in vitro fertilization is routinely practiced, approving a resolution lamenting that the creation of a surplus of frozen embryos often leads to the “destruction of human embryonic life.”

They urged members to carefully evaluate the ethical implications of this technology while also expressing sympathy for couples “suffering from the intense pain of infertility.”

The resolution — approved near the end of the Southern Baptist Convention’s two-day annual meeting — affirms that embryos are human beings from the moment of fertilization, whether in the womb or generated in a laboratory via artificial insemination. This is the same position taken by the Alabama Supreme Court in ruling that frozen embryos have full human rights.

In the wake of this decision, Alabama passed a law protecting IVF providers from prosecution and lawsuits—reflecting that even in a state with strong anti-abortion sentiment, there is support for the technology used by many infertile couples.

The resolution also urged couples to adopt surplus frozen embryos that would otherwise be destroyed.

Did the resolution condemn artificial insemination or call for its ban?

Not in a comprehensive way. What it did do was condemn the routine practice of creating multiple embryos, freezing them for potential use, but often destroying the surplus embryos. It also condemned the use of embryos in experiments, as well as “inhumane methods of determining suitability for life and genetic screening, based on notions of genetic fitness and parental preferences.”

Christine Ferguson, chair of the Resolutions Committee, said after the vote that the decision amounts to the SBC’s first foray into new ethnic boundaries, but is rooted in their long-standing belief in “the sanctity of the human embryo.”

She said artificial insemination “does not respect the sanctity of the human embryo… in the way it is routinely done.” “For now, we are trying to open up the conversation, remind Southern Baptists of our long-held beliefs in the sanctity of human life, and allow them to begin to think about the moral implications.”

She expected there might be decisions with “much stronger language” and more specific applications in the future, such as how these issues relate to the medical community, she said.

“But we’re not talking about that at this time, because Southern Baptists aren’t ready to talk about that yet,” she said. “They wanted to say confirmation of the human embryo and that it has implications for IVF.”

What is artificial insemination?

In vitro fertilization offers a possible solution when a woman is having difficulty conceiving. The procedure involves retrieving her eggs and combining them in a laboratory dish with the man’s sperm to create a fertilized embryo, which is then transferred into the woman’s uterus in an attempt for pregnancy to occur.

IVF is done in cycles and may take more than one cycle for a successful pregnancy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The procedure can use eggs and sperm from the couple or from a donor.

Why is this an important issue for Southern Baptists?

Since the country’s largest Protestant body took a conservative turn in the 1980s, it has made opposition to abortion a top priority. With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, new issues have come to the fore, including artificial insemination.

This decision makes clear that Southern Baptists’ belief that life begins at conception extends to embryos resulting from artificial insemination.

Do Southern Baptists and other conservative evangelicals have a consensus on IVF?

No, on the conference floor, some delegates gave impassioned testimony about how IVF enables couples to have long-awaited children. Others said that despite this laudable goal, the practice is morally unacceptable.

Some believe it is ethical to use IVF to create only the number of embryos intended for implantation.

Albert Mohler, a prominent seminary president and conservative activist, made a strong condemnation of IVF at a fringe event before an SBC meeting on Monday, calling IVF a “commodification of the embryo” that assaults human dignity. He also criticized it for enabling people to have children outside heterosexual marriage.

Did the decision call for a government ban on artificial insemination?

No, it calls on the government to “restrain actions that are inconsistent with the dignity of… frozen human beings.” But it does not stipulate specific measures.

“I think particularly after the Alabama Supreme Court decision, there has been a rush at the state level as well as the federal level to protect IVF or even expand access to IVF, often with little thought to some of the other facts at stake,” Jason said. Thacker, a Southern Baptist ethicist who advised the Resolutions Committee.

“We are not naive enough to say we can simply ban this technology,” he said. “Although that is the goal, because it is consistent with the dignity of the human embryo in many respects,” he said he recognizes that there are others who believe there are ethical ways to apply IVF technology.

What is essential, he said, is laws that respect the human dignity of fetuses.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through an AP collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

—Peter Smith, Associated Press