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What does Christianity teach about fertility treatments?

Most Christians recognise that being unable to have children can cause great sadness. They show compassion to people in this situation and support them.

Christians may encourage people to adopt a child. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that infertile Catholics can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children (Roman Catholic Catechism 2379).

However, Christians recognise that infertile couples in this situation may feel that this is not the same as having a biological child and that they may want to turn to medical treatments for infertility. There are many different perspectives held by Christians on which, if any, of the treatments available today are compatible with Christian teaching.

Bible teaching

Fertility treatment is the result of modern medical science. However, this does not mean that there is nothing relevant in the Bible to guide Christians in their thinking.

Bible teachings that place emphasis on the sanctity of human life and the unique value of every child are very relevant. There are also references to childless couples and their approach to this situation.

For many Christians, this commandment teaches that the taking of all human life is wrong. If life begins at conception, then the destruction of ‘spare embryos’ can be seen, to them, as murder.

In these verses the author of Psalms is praising God for His marvellous creation of human life. Every human being is carefully put together by God in the womb and is known to God. This unique creation does not start to exist as a person at birth, but when growing in secret in the womb. Therefore this life should be respected and not destroyed.

God spoke to Jeramiah and told him that he had been chosen from before he was born. This shows how God knows each person and has plans for them from before they were born. This verse is also teaching that human life comes from God and must be treated with respect.

In the following passage, a woman called Hannah is desperate to have a child and prays:

Hannah’s prayer was answered and she gave birth to a son. This incident can teach Christians that God is in control and that the response to a distressing situation should be prayer. God hears people’s prayers and answers them in the way He thinks is best. Many Christians feel this should be the response to the situation of being childless, rather than fertility treatment.