Reproduction Meets Religion

Last week The state of Alabama found itself in an unforced and awkward situation.  The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children.  Yes, embryos produced as a consequence of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures are children.  They have personhood just like me and you.

All of this means that Alabama finds itself in the unique position of being a state where a female can be forced to carry a pregnancy to term - even if a twelve year-old is raped by her incestuous father.  If you find yourself unable to naturally conceive a child, IVF treatment is no longer available to you. 

All of this stems from the Law of Unintended Consequences as no one wants to be arrested and thrown in jail or get cross ways with the State Supreme Court because nobody knows what to do with thousands of frozen children.  Murder is a capital offense in Alabama; so it's not much of a stretch to believe you could be executed if found responsible for the loss of frozen embryos.

When it comes to reproductive options Alabama now finds itself a very unwelcoming place to live.  Republicans have concocted a fine kettle of fish for themselves and I'd be willing to bet that since it's an election year the dems are going to rub their noses in this shit.  Another nail in the coffin of the suburban women vote, eh?  But I digress.

What I really want to talk about is the religious angle on all of this because Chief Justice Tom Parker had this to say about the court's decision:  Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God.

Once you get beyond the divine retribution part, he makes a good point.  He's being morally honest.  For him it's all about God and for many of us reproductive decisions are frequently tangled-up in moral, religious and faith beliefs.

I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition of the Christian faith, and even though The Church has washed its hands of me following a divorce decades ago, many of the beliefs I learned as a child and young adult still ring true and continue to shape my life. 

Guidance for many conservative Christians includes a belief that life begins at conception.  This applies to IVF treatment and abortion.  There is no compromise.  Catholic doctrine expressly forbids both including virtually all modern birth control interventions as well.  Just last month Pope Francis condemned surrogacy as despicable and called for a global ban on the practice.

Catholicism also happens to have a long and rich tradition of beliefs couched in social policy regarding reverence for life and care for the the poor.  Sex outside of marriage is forbidden - the act of which is reserved for married individuals and is solely for procreation.  Masturbation causes blindness too.  That's the doctrinaire part of it; truthfully, many Catholics are not that observant and routinely use hormonal birth control and seek IVF treatment.

Protestant beliefs can be more forgiving on the subject of IVF - possibly because the result is more children.  Furthermore, Evangelicals also tend to rely-upon literal interpretation of the bible; and naturally, the bible says nothing about IVF treatment.

The Chief Justice invoked God in his ruling - presumably this is the God of Abraham from whom the three major world religions hail.  

Judaism allows assisted reproduction when medically necessary.  Having children bears witness to the command to be fruitful and multiply.  Furthermore, the destruction of unused embryos is allowed as long as they thaw and dry naturally.

Islamic beliefs also allow all assisted reproductive technologies providing that the sperm, ovum and uterus belong to a legal-married couple during the term of their marriage.  If infertility is beyond cure it should be accepted.  If there are unused fertilized eggs their treatment is consistent with that of Judaism.

Respectfully, faith traditions are not in general agreement on much of this.  And adherents to a belief system should be guided appropriately.  Unlike Iran our country is not a theocracy ruled by mullahs; our government and system of laws is secular.  So if you don't believe in IVF, abortion, divorce, birth control or whatever, don't engage in the practice.  I am not going to impose my beliefs on someone else and I expect reciprocity.  

I happen to think that government already intrudes too much in the private lives of its citizenry.  So stay out of my life, my home, my bedroom and keep your damn hands off my body.  We're rational beings and consequently should be making our own decisions about our own destiny guided only by common sense, family, medical professionals and our faith beliefs.

I know I'm being snarky; but if frozen embryos are children, why aren't parents allowed extra exemptions on their tax return?

Now get off my lawn....