(RNS) — Americans are polarized on almost every issue in public life, from what books kids should be allowed to read in school to how to reform the nation’s immigration system.
One thing most do agree on, regardless of party affiliation, is in-vitro fertilization — more commonly known as IVF — 70% of Americans told Pew Research they believe access to IVF is a good thing, while only 8% said it was bad, according to a 2024 survey.
Members of the nation’s largest faith groups also see IVF access as a positive, including Black Protestants (69%), Catholics (65%), and the evangelical (63%) and non-evangelical (78%) varieties of white Protestants, as do the unaffiliated (78%).
That’s likely one reason why Donald Trump recently issued an executive order Tuesday (Feb. 18), promising to reduce the cost of IVF.
“Therefore, to support American families, it is the policy of my Administration to ensure reliable access to IVF treatment, including by easing unnecessary statutory or regulatory burdens to make IVF treatment drastically more affordable,” Trump wrote.
While people in the pews might applaud the president’s actions, a number of high-profile faith leaders, including the nation’s Catholic bishops, are not pleased.
“As pastors, we see the suffering of so many couples experiencing infertility and know their deep desire to have children is both good and admirable; yet the Administration’s push for IVF, which ends countless human lives and treats persons like property, cannot be the answer,” wrote Bishops Daniel E. Thomas, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Robert E. Barron, chair of the Committee for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, in a statement released by the USCCB on Thursday.
The USCCB — like other faith groups that oppose abortion on the belief that life starts at conception — says IVF is well-intentioned but immoral. While millions of children have been born following IVF, the process often involves freezing or discarding excess embryos.
“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 wrote. “Tuesday’s executive order promoting IVF is thus fatally flawed and stands in regrettable contrast to the promising pro-life actions of the Administration last month.”
IVF and the treatment of excess embryos had been a matter of heated debate in the early 2000s, when those embryos were seen as potential subjects for stem cell research. But any public controversy about IVF had largely faded until the spring of 2024, when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled during a wrongful death lawsuit that embryos could be considered children. That led clinics in Alabama to shut down until the state’s legislature passed a new law to protect IVF treatments.
Last summer, Southern Baptists passed a resolution asking church members to be wary of IVF and calling the process immoral. The resolution also called for more government regulation of IVF and for limits on how many embryos are created in treatment.
Brent Leatherwood, president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says the White House should heed the denomination’s advice when thinking about rules for IVF.
“The statement is clear and convictional as it honors life and adoption; affirms the dignity of the preborn; laments infertility; opposes the destruction of life; and requests the government to restrict actions inconsistent with human dignity,” he said in an email Thursday. “With this resolution, I believe our churches have expressed a wise framework for how we can think about this issue. It’s one our government should use as well — which the ERLC has highlighted in numerous policy briefings in Washington.”
Faith leaders pray over President Donald Trump after he signed an executive order establishing the White House Faith Office, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House. (White House photo)
While Trump has been praised by abortion foes for the end of Roe v. Wade, over the past year, the president’s views on IVF and his distancing from outright abortion bans have led to controversy — especially after the 2024 GOP platform no longer called for an end to abortion.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, urged Trump to put in new rules to restrict IVF rather than expanding access. In a response to Trump’s executive order, Perkins released a statement criticizing IVF for causing the death of embryos and saying the treatment does not address the medical conditions that cause infertility. “The Trump administration can address the infertility crisis in America in a way that is morally and scientifically sound, enabling many more Americans to experience the beautiful gift of children,” he wrote.
Lila Rose, president of the anti-abortion group Live Action, was more blunt in her opposition to increasing IVF access.
“No one is entitled to a child at the cost of denying the humanity and rights of countless others,” she said in a statement. “A compassionate society must work to support families while upholding the dignity and protection of every human being — born and preborn. President Trump and our other leaders should champion ethical, life-affirming fertility options that protect both mothers and children.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who has been outspoken in his criticism of IVF, has said IVF is harmful to children. He told RNS that IVF is “yet another example of adults putting their desires before the best interests of children.”
“Moreover, IVF is not ‘fertility treatment,’” he said. “It does nothing to address the heartbreak of infertility. There are effective medical treatments for couples struggling in this area. If the government is going to expend resources to make the manufacturing of babies in a laboratory more easily accessible, it should do the same for medical treatment of infertility.”
By contrast, Americans for IVF, which calls itself a “conservative pro-family group” cheered Trump’s order, saying it would help infertile couples have children — without the financial burden of paying for IVF treatments, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per attempt.
“As a pro-life rabbi and father of nine children, I can confidently tell religious conservatives that there is nothing more pro-life than IVF,” said Rabbi Margaretten, the group’s founder, in a statement.
(Aleja Hertzler-McCain contributed to this story.)
