IVF: Is it okay?

In vitro fertilization is a highly controversial topic that I did not give much thought to before discussing it in VHS class. I always viewed IVF as positive because happy couples get babies out of it. Never, did I consider while watching shows such as John and Kate Plus 8 (the Gosselin parents had their twins and then sextuplets thanks to IVF), the Catholic Chruch’s view on IVF. I just saw the cute kids and happy family as an outcome.

The Catholic Church discourages in vitro fertilization because they believe conception should only occur by sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. They do not believe a baby should be made in a dish in a scientific lab. The Catholic However, I did like the one woman’s view in the US Catholic article that God made science and people, and therefore IVF is in a way another creation of his.

Still, the Catholic Church’s views and the Dateline episode of the “egg switch up” made me think more about the cons of IVF. Human error is a big con for me. Another con is that the eggs not implanted and left over may then be destroyed. The financial cost of IVF is not a con, in my opinion, because if the couple receives the joy of a baby it will be priceless.

I still see the positives outweighing the negatives for IVF, but I think every couple needs to seriously discuss the option of IVF before deciding it is necessary. I think a better option would be to request to have only 3 initial eggs made, and all implanted at once, so each one gets a chance at life instead of making 10 and the extra 7 being destroyed.

Abortions of Dr. Kermit

The acts of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and his assistants are repulsive. He took the lives of innocent babies and caused harm to so many patients. The article outraged me, especially the part about the department of health in Pennsylvania not taking action after multiple reports were filed. This doctor was a serial murderer of these babies, and the department of health did not do their necessary part of investigating.

Before receiving the article in class, I had only heard about Dr. Kermit from my younger sister who found out about it during her religion class. I am shocked that this story is not more widespread on the news. It may be in part because the location of the incidents was in the city, where murders happen more frequently. If Dr. Kermit’s facilities were on the Main Line I do believe the news coverage might be more widespread. News coverage also depends on the outrage of the people in the surrounding areas. People on the main line may be more outraged about this gruesome event. The race and economic status of the people involved may impact the news coverage. IF a teenage private school main line girl was killed in Dr. Kermit’s office, the news may have been more motivated to cover the story.

As the article emphasized, the most important thing we can do as readers is spread this story to others.

The Changing Face of Marriage

In my own life, I have experienced the “domestic church” in my home. My parents have raised my sisters and I as Catholics and set modern examples for us of how a good Catholic should act. They have taught us Christian morals such as honesty and respect. They have been the “first preachers of faith” as they have raised us and I hope to bring the “domestic church” into my home one day. Raising children with good morals to live by is important to me.

In our new modern world of marriage, divorce rates continue to climb. I think people take marriage now as less seriously (Kim Kardashian, for example). However, I think a woman’s role in marriage has improved. We are now known not only as the “housewives,” but as more of an equal to males. As the cnn video explained, many men are now marrying women that have higher degrees than they do.

Pew Trust’s study finding does excite me because my future college degree hopefully means less chance of one day getting divorced. I think the correlation between degree and lower divorce rates may have some underlying factors. For instance, the typical college student may think things through more thoroughly, and therefore, be more cautious when approaching marriage.