{"id":2267204,"date":"2024-06-13T17:53:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T21:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/southern-baptist-convention-passes-anti-ivf-resolution-after-emotional-debate\/"},"modified":"2024-06-13T17:57:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T21:57:37","slug":"southern-baptist-convention-passes-anti-ivf-resolution-after-emotional-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/southern-baptist-convention-passes-anti-ivf-resolution-after-emotional-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Baptist Convention Adopts Anti-IVF Measure Following Heated Discussion"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsouthern-baptist-convention-passes-anti-ivf-resolution-after-emotional-debate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2267204&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2062Southern Baptist\u200b Convention (SBC) recently voted to adopt a resolution opposing the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) during an\u200c emotionally\u2064 charged debate at their annual meeting. Introduced by Albert Mohler, \u200dthe president\u200c of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the resolution expressed a\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pence-backs-tuberville-senate-blockade-the-pentagon-is-wrong\/\" title=\"Pence supports Tuberville's Senate blockade, disagrees with Pentagon.\">pro-life \u2063stance<\/a> that respects\u200c life &#8220;from the moment of fertilization until natural death.&#8221; It highlights \u2062ethical\u200d concerns about the destruction of embryonic human life often associated \u2063with \u200dIVF \u2062procedures, where multiple\u200c eggs are fertilized but not all embryos\u200b are implanted, leading to\u2064 many being discarded \u200bor indefinitely frozen.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2064 resolution calls on Southern Baptists to reaffirm the value and right to \u200clife of all human beings, including those at \u200dthe embryonic stage, and to only use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-announces-major-investment-in-ivf-to-reverse-birth-rate-collapse\/\" title=\"China Announces Major Investment in IVF to Reverse Birth Rate Collapse\">reproductive technologies<\/a> that align with\u2063 this belief.\u2062 It acknowledges\u2063 children as gifts from God, \u2064irrespective of\u2062 their conception\u200b method, while expressing\u200b sympathy for couples dealing with infertility.<\/p>\n<p>Albert Mohler emphasized the importance of the resolution aligning with the SBC\u2019s existing views on the sanctity of life, and stressed \u200cthat any ethical \u2062approach to\u200c IVF \u2062must consider the status of embryos\u200b as human lives.\u200b However, the resolution sparked a\u2064 debate over whether IVF \u2064can ever be\u2064 used ethically, leading to a \u200dproposed \u2062amendment suggesting IVF might\u200c be permissible if all embryos are transferred to the mother, aligning it with\u2062 pro-life principles. This underscores\u2062 ongoing discussions\u200c within the community about the reconciliation of new reproductive technologies with traditional religious ethics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Following an emotional debate at the annual meeting on Wednesday, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) voted to adopt a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baptistpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/6-On-the-Ethical-Realities-of-Reproductive-Technologies-and-the-Dignity-of-the-Human-Embryo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resolution opposing<\/a> the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF). The resolution, put forth by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President <a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Albert Mohler<\/a>, cited a right to life \u201cfrom the moment of fertilization until natural death\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ethics-questions-raised-about-bidens-son-in-laws-investments-in-covid-19-response\/\" title=\"Ethics Questions Raised about Biden\u2019s Son-in-Law\u2019s Investments in Covid-19 Response\">ethical concerns<\/a> over the \u201cdestruction of embryonic human life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baptistpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/6-On-the-Ethical-Realities-of-Reproductive-Technologies-and-the-Dignity-of-the-Human-Embryo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crux of the resolution<\/a> states, \u201cThe messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention \u2026 call on Southern Baptists to reaffirm the unconditional value and right to life of every human being, including those in an embryonic stage, and to only utilize reproductive technologies consistent with that affirmation.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-750127684\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-68dfb5fd42bffad88904bbd1b36b9a77 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-68dfb5fd42bffad88904bbd1b36b9a77\"><\/div>\n<p>The resolution also affirmed that all children are a gift from God, regardless of how they are conceived, and expressed sympathy for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nancy-mace-circulating-resolution-to-express-support-for-ivf-after-alabama-ruling\/\" title=\"Nancy Mace proposes resolution backing IVF post Alabama decision\">couples facing infertility<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really glad this other Baptist Convention was so clear in this resolution, very happy about that,\u201d Mohler told The Federalist. \u201cI think we\u2019re starting a process and we\u2019re gonna have to make moral arguments and make them persuasively right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The IVF process requires the fertilization of multiple eggs to increase the chance of laboratory conception and successful implantation. Couples who have leftover embryos they no longer wish to implant may choose to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/embryo-donation-one-possible-path-after-ivf-202112032649\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discard or freeze<\/a> the embryos, often indefinitely. Estimates on the number of embryos currently considered \u201csurplus\u201d in freezers range from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/combined-general-department-management.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">600,000<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embryodonation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1.5 million<\/a> in the United States alone. A large <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/embryos-are-stuck-in-limbo-in-fertility-clinics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">percentage<\/a> of embryos are eventually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/features\/nation-s-fertility-clinics-struggle-growing-number-abandoned-embryos-n1040806\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discarded<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The resolution makes these statistics a point of concern. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1aa9506261f4083862001402b5bf923e fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1aa9506261f4083862001402b5bf923e\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThough all children are to be fully respected and protected, not all technological means of assisting human reproduction are equally God-honoring or morally justified,\u201d reads the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baptistpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/6-On-the-Ethical-Realities-of-Reproductive-Technologies-and-the-Dignity-of-the-Human-Embryo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resolution<\/a>. \u201cHuman beings are currently stored in cryogenic freezers in an embryonic state throughout the United States, with most unquestionably destined for eventual destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many Southern Baptists contend ethical concerns over IVF are consistent with the SBC\u2019s existing guidance on the sanctity of life, which the <a href=\"https:\/\/bfm.sbc.net\/bfm2000\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Baptist Faith and Message<\/a> asserts begins at conception and, therefore, includes embryos. According to Mohler, this pro-life position is the reasoning behind the proposal. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe blunt and unavoidable question is this: Do <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-fright-cnns-chris-cuomo-suggests-pro-life-legislation-motivated-by-racism\/\" title=\"\u2018White Fright\u2019: CNN\u2019s Chris Cuomo Suggests Pro-Life Legislation Motivated By Racism\">pro-lifers<\/a> really believe that \u2018unborn children are children?\u201d said Mohler in a <a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/2024\/03\/20\/in-defense-of-the-frozen-children-the-alabama-supreme-court-rules-that-the-protection-of-human-embryos-extends-beyond-the-womb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent blog post<\/a>. \u201cIf we really do believe this, how do we reckon with millions of frozen children locked in an indefinite freeze and destined for destruction due to IVF procedures?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, there was contention over whether IVF could be used ethically under certain conditions. An amendment was proposed to change the text of the resolution to assert that IVF could be used \u201cin a manner\u201d consistent with a pro-life position, such as transferring all embryos to the mother. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8057bb2a1660577cc24c882ecedc02eb fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8057bb2a1660577cc24c882ecedc02eb\"><\/div>\n<p>Zach Sahadak from First Baptist Church in Fairborn, Ohio, argued in favor of the amendment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a son because of IVF,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/live.sbcannualmeeting.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sahadak said<\/a>. \u201cI am for the sanctity of life and for the safety of embryos. I am against the idea that this technology is so wicked that it cannot be employed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Monica Hall, a delegate from Oak Grove Baptist Church in Paducah, Kentucky, disagreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe SBC is known for our strong defense of the sanctity of human life, nothing in the process of IVF upholds the sanctity of life,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/live.sbcannualmeeting.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hall said<\/a>. \u201cThere is no way to describe the treatment of embryos at any point in the IVF process as ethical or dignified. <\/p>\n<p>Mohler addressed the question directly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think there is no way that IVF can be performed without huge moral error,\u201d Mohler told The Federalist. \u201cAnd yet, I want to acknowledge that there are applications of IVF that are more and less respectful of human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taylor\u2019s amendment was defeated in a vote. Mohler\u2019s resolution condemning IVF <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SBCMeeting\/status\/1800968210763661528\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">passed <\/a>in its original form <a href=\"https:\/\/live.sbcannualmeeting.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">moments later<\/a>. This move makes the Southern Baptist Conventions one of the first protestant denominations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/marriage-and-family\/commentary\/protestant-denominations-need-stronger-leadership-assisted\">to issue firm guidance<\/a> on IVF.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5784032fef76704fa8b879492ebc9fea fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5784032fef76704fa8b879492ebc9fea\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At their annual meeting, the Southern Baptist Convention, after a heartfelt debate, voted to oppose in vitro fertilization (IVF). Introduced by Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the resolution argues for the right to life from fertilization to natural death, raising ethical concerns<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3175,"featured_media":2267205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-13-105549-e1718290733752.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2267204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-13-105549-e1718290733752.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}