IVF and T-I-M-E

It has often been said that children spell love T-I-M-E. Now, a recent report reveals that a growing number of want-to-be moms in the UK spell it IVF. According to Charlotte Edwardes and Andrew Alderson, “Women are increasingly seeking inappropriate IVF treatment because they do not have the time or inclination for a sex life…” (2005). One medical doctor and “fertility expert” who was interviewed indicated that since 2000 he had seen a 20 percent increase in the number of women seeking “inappropriate or premature” in vitro fertilization treatments. Why? Because more and more potential mommies and daddies are overly absorbed in their work and too busy for a sexual relationship. Another medical doctor consulted about this growing trend stated, “About 10 per cent of people I see don’t have time to have sex. It’s usually when you have two professionals who are based in the city and are very busy.” And, since some IVF experts allege that women have “a one in three chance of success or better in one cycle if the woman is under 35, whereas natural conception has no better than a one in four chance for a woman of the same age” (Edwardes and Alderson, 2005), more women feel justified in their decision to visit an IVF clinic.

Unbelievable! Even though IVF treatments eventually lead to the death of countless living human embryos (see Thompson, 1999, pp. 34-44), more and more women (even “healthy” women able to conceive naturally) are choosing to use IVF clinics to get pregnant. Thus, multiplied thousands of human embryos are being needlessly destroyed.

Furthermore, women are choosing this method of conception because they “don’t have time to have sexual relations?!” A woman who does not have time for a sexual relationship with her husband certainly does not have time for children. When will she have time to feed them, change their diapers, read and play games with them, or sit and talk to them about serious matters as they get older? “Child­ren are a heritage from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). It is high time we stop treating them like animals.

Edwardes, Charlotte and Andrew Alderson (2005), “Women Bypass Sex in Favour of ‘Instant Pregnancies,’” News.telegraph, September 9, [On-line], URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/25/nivf25.xml.

Thompson, Bert (1999), The Christian and Medical Ethics (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).

Published November 13, 2005

REPRODUCTION & DISCLAIMERS: We are happy to grant permission for this article to be reproduced in part or in its entirety, as long as our stipulations are observed.

Reproduction Stipulations→