Major Christian group votes to oppose IVF, adding to national debate over the future of the procedure

June 13, 2024

The Southern Baptist Convention has voted in favor of a resolution opposing the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF.

According to the Deseret News, the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the U.S. voted to “reaffirm the unconditional value and right to life of every human being,” including fertilized eggs and to only use “reproductive technologies consistent with that affirmation.”

The resolution‘s approval came amidst disagreement from some conference attendees who have used IVF to conceive. The New York Times reports that some religious conservatives who oppose abortion are also in opposition to the death of embryos created in laboratory settings.

Wednesday’s vote by the Southern Baptist Convention is not the first instance of a religious body taking a stand against IVF. The Catholic Church has also opposed the procedure and Pope Francis has recently spoken out again surrogacy, which is often done using IVF.

The Deseret News reports that the passage of the resolution confirms that the procedure is now becoming a part of the wider abortion debate over human life and personhood.

Photo: top, Credit: Doug McSchooler/Associated Press