The desire of infertile couples to pass on their genes should not be underestimated. The emotional associations people have with fertility treatments are positive. They have brought great joy into a lot of homes. It is nothing like abortion, which most people, wherever they stand on its legal status, see as a sad event.
Sophisticated defenders of embryo-destructive stem-cell research have frequently suggested that pro-lifers are morally unserious in their opposition to it, because otherwise they would have to take on IVF. Pro-lifers have for the most part brushed off this debater’s point, instinctively concluding that there is no reason that they should be the only political actors who are not allowed to pick their battles. But a reform of the industry ought to be among the long-term goals of the pro-life movement.
Ramesh Ponnuru in his article “Out of the Freezer” in the 6 April 2009 issue of National Review.
