Culture of Life?

Although I’m listed as a contributor, I’ve contributed nothing to this blog since its inception. Until now. Miss Melissa seems greatly interested in reproductive rights and women’s health issues. I happened upon a recent story that might be worthy of mention.

Now, I’m aware that the Roman Catholic Church (or as old school Anglicans would say, "the Roman Church") takes a dim view of such things as birth control and masturbation. (Do good Catholic boys have to mention nocturnal emissions during confession?) But I was surprised by the story of Kelly Romenesko, a former French teacher at a Catholic school in Appleton Wisconsin. She was fired from her job. The reason: she became pregnant via in-vitro fertilization. (Ms. Romenesko and her husband had tried unsuccessfully for several years to start a family before exploring the possibility of in-vitro fertilization.)

By employing medical technology to commingle her eggs with her husband’s sperm, Romenesko had violated two clauses in her teaching contract: to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church, and to act and teach in accordance with Catholic doctrine and the church’s moral and social teachings.

In 1987, Cardinal Ratzinger--now known as Pope Benedict XVI--authored a church instruction on "respect for human life in its origin and the dignity of procreation." The document teaches that in-vitro fertilization is immoral. There are several reasons, apparently, for the Catholic Church’s position, including the fact that the process often results in extra embryos that may later be discarded. Also, to harvest the sperm, the donor must--gasp--masturbate.

I’m not Roman Catholic. There are many things I like about the Catholic Church. But really, what’s the scriptural justification for this position. And I wonder if any Catholic school teacher has been fired for practicing birth control or violating other Catholic teachings.

Ms. Romenesko and her husband eventually welcomed twin daughters into this world. Their girls were baptized in the Lutheran church.