Americans split on morality of destroying frozen embryos created via IVF: poll

June 18, 2024

A new Gallup Values and Beliefs poll shows that while a majority of Americans support in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the public remains split on the morality of destroying frozen embryos that are created in the process.

The Christian Post reports that the poll, released last week, sampled the opinions of 1,024 U.S. adults on a wide variety of cultural and sometimes contentious issues. The polling took place between May 1 and May 23 of this year.

According to the Mayo Clinic, in-vitro fertilization is a process where “mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab” and “a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilized eggs, called embryos, in a uterus.”

The practice of IVF is heralded as an effective treatment for infertility but also is criticized by some who believe it is dehumanizing.

In the Gallup poll, 82% of respondents said that IVF was “morally acceptable” with 10% of respondents saying the procedure is “morally wrong.” Support was strongest among respondents who “seldom or never attend” church (91%) with only 63% of weekly churchgoers saying IVF was “morally acceptable.”

The Christian Post reports that last week, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution stating, in part: “In Vitro Fertilization most often engages in the destruction of embryonic human life and increasingly engages in dehumanizing methods for determining suitability for life and genetic sorting, based on notions of genetic fitness and parental preferences.”

Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created during the IVF process are protected by state law. The state of Alabama then passed a bill granting immunity to doctors who destroy human embryos.

That move prompted outrage from pro-life activists who compared the measure to a “license to kill.”

Photo: top, Credit: Getty Images/RubberBall Productions