The Catholic Church actively supported the development of IVF.

The Catholic Church covertly assisted in the creation of the medication that enabled the process of IVF.

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The Part Played by the Catholic Church in the Advancement of In-Vitro Fertilization: An Intricate Past

The Catholic Church has been known for its strong stance against in-vitro fertilization (IVF), a commonly used assisted reproductive method that many LGBTQ+ individuals turn to for starting a family. However, a recent discovery reveals the Church’s unexpected role in the creation of a groundbreaking hormone that paved the way for IVF treatment in the late 1950s.

In an in-depth article published by Vanity Fair, journalist Keziah Weir uncovered a surprising collaboration between Austrian-born Jewish endocrinologist Bruno Lunenfeld and the Vatican in the development of a crucial hormone necessary for IVF treatment. In 1957, Lunenfeld and his team found a way to extract human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) from postmenopausal women’s urine, which successfully induced ovulation in mice. However, obtaining enough urine for clinical trials proved to be a challenge.

That’s when Don Giulio Pacelli, a prominent member of the board at the Serono Pharmacological Institute in Rome and the nephew of Pope Pius XII, came up with a solution. He suggested involving elderly Catholic nuns to donate their urine for Lunenfeld’s research. Despite the Church’s traditional opposition to artificial fertilization, Pacelli assured Lunenfeld of the Pope’s support for the project.

With the help of a hundred nuns, Lunenfeld was able to collect the necessary amount of urine to extract the hormone, leading to the creation of Pergonal, a drug that ultimately allowed for the first successful IVF pregnancy in the United States in 1981. Although Pergonal is no longer in use, a similar drug is still used in IVF treatments today, as long as the procedure is legal in the country.

The involvement of these nuns in Lunenfeld’s research is surrounded by mystery, but some speculate that they may have seen their participation as a way to uphold Catholic teachings on fertility and procreation. Despite this collaboration in history, the Catholic Church still condemns IVF as a practice that violates human dignity and the sanctity of marriage.

Dr. John M. Haas, former president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, expressed disapproval towards IVF for bypassing the natural process of conception through intercourse and instead relying on laboratory procedures. Furthermore, the Church objects to the creation of extra embryos in the IVF process, considering them as having the potential for life, even though they are not fully developed into children.

The complex relationship between the Catholic Church and IVF highlights the intricate ethical considerations surrounding assisted reproductive technologies. While the Church played a crucial role in the development of a crucial element in IVF treatment, its moral objections to the procedure continue to shape discussions on fertility and family-building within Catholic communities.

As society grapples with changing views on reproductive rights and advances in medicine, the Catholic Church’s involvement in the creation of IVF serves as a reminder of the complex overlap between science, faith, and ethics in the field of reproductive medicine.

IVF