Trump administration insiders are eyeing more ethical alternatives to the controversial in-vitro fertilization (IVF) industry, according to a new report at the New York Times.
The outlet last week published a piece by journalist Caroline Kitchener, examining restorative reproductive medicine (RRM), an alternative to IVF seen by many as a morally acceptable way of pursuing the same ends IVF promises to achieve.
RRM emphasizes restoring potential parents to health. Unlike IVF, which involves intentionally destroying human embryos and separating the creation of life from the sexual act, some forms of RRM such as NaPro work to assist couples in conceiving children in line with Catholic teachings on marriage and sexuality.
RRM aims to treat underlying health issues causing infertility, Kitchener’s piece explained. The journalist quoted Emma Waters, a policy analyst for the Center for Technology and the Human Person at the Heritage Foundation. “It’s important,” Waters said, “that we reframe the conversation away from just being about I.V.F. to a broader conversation about infertility.”
Until recently, RRM had attracted very little attention from the political establishment, according to Kitchener. In recent months, however, more and more political leaders are taking the RRM more seriously.
“Today, an approach long confined to the medical fringe has unified Christian conservatives and proponents of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement — and is suddenly at the forefront of the fertility conversation in the Trump administration and the broader Republican Party,” the article stated.
Republican politicians are increasingly supportive of RRM. According to the Times, not only have the House and Senate voted in favor of bills that would include funding for RRM, but the Department of Health and Human Services will soon begin teaching low-income women about RRM through government-funded clinics.
President Donald Trump has signaled support for IVF, eliciting strong statements of concern from Catholic leaders.
Trump said on the campaign trail last year that he would make the costly procedure free, as CatholicVote previously reported. After being elected, he signed a Feb. 18 executive order “Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization.”
CatholicVote reported at the time on the swift response of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The IVF industry treats human beings like products and freezes or kills millions of children who are not selected for transfer to a womb or do not survive,” the Bishops stated.
In the months since Trump’s initial executive order, rumors about whether the president will follow through on his IVF plans have abounded. In early August, the Washington Post reported that two anonymous sources within the administration said the president had abandoned plans to force insurance to cover IVF.
>> Theologian on Word on Fire explains why ‘IVF is NOT Pro-Life’ <<
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Author: Felix Miller
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