Fr. Pacholczyk also pointed to further concerns, saying IVG disrupts the uniqueness of every individual's sex cells.
"I.V.G raises additional concerns because of the way it manipulates human sex cells. Our sex cells, or gametes, are special cells. They uniquely identify us," Fr. Pacholczyk stated.
"It is most unfortunate that overwhelming parental desires are being permitted to trump and distort the right order of transmitting human life," he continued.
Fr. Pacholczyk said that processes like IVG "enable a consumerist mentality that holds that children are 'projects' to be realized through commercial transactions and laboratory techniques of gamete manipulation."
The Catholic Church teaches that IVF and similar reproductive technologies are morally illicit for several reasons, including their separation of procreation from the conjugal act and the creation of embryos which are discarded.
Pope Francis recently spoke out against the destruction of human embryos, saying that no good result from research can justify the destruction of embryos.
"Some branches of research use human embryos, inevitably causing their destruction. But we know that no ends, even noble in themselves – such as a predicted utility for science, for other human beings or for society – can justify the destruction of human embryos," the Holy Father said May 18.
Although IVG has proven successful in mice, there are still some wrinkles that need to be ironed out before it is tested on humans, and will entail years more of tedious bioengineering.
However, Fr. Pacholczyk hopes that potential parents will come to realize that children should not products that can be ordered or purchased by consumers, and should rather be seen as a gift.
"Turning commercial laboratories to create children on our behalf is an unethical step in the direction of treating our offspring as objects to be planned and created in the pursuit of parental gratification, rather than gifts received from the Lord."
This article was originally published on CNA May 18, 2017.
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