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Dear Susan,
You are good to ask. This question opens out onto the whole theology
of the body, and onto the meaning of human love, marriage, and life.
It is a huge question, and I will just give the basics.
The Church
teaches that every child has a right to be born as a result of human
intercourse between a mother and father united in the marital covenant
of love. That is the main reason.
Any other form of procreation makes
the child a product, a result of technique, or a consumer good that
is the result of a process in which others have intervened within
the most intimate and sacred expression of the covenant. There are
also ancillary reasons that don't have to do with the child.
The
first is that in vitro fertilization (IVF) results in the destruction of at least one other
embryo, since IVF cannot help but fertilize more than one egg. The
rest are thrown away or frozen. These embryos are human beings. At least three
are implanted, and often some die so you are risking one or more
children's lives for the sake of getting one child — and then there sometimes
follows "selective reduction", which actually kills one
or two children inside the womb, so that the other child can survive, or
simply because the parents only want one child.
The second reason is that
artificial insemination, using sperm from the husband, not only involves
others in the procreation that belongs to the spouses alone, but
also requires the husband to masturbate, which is an immoral act.
I recommend that you go to:
Donum Vitae (The Gift of Human Life)
Instruction On Respect For Human Life In Its Origin And On The Dignity Of Procreation Replies To Certain Questions Of The Day
You could also check out the Catechism. It is good to know that
a young person would even ask. Many would simply think the Church
had no right to say anything, or not care and do what pleases themselves.
A child, like any person, is not a tool for someone else, or something
to complete the psyche or desires of another person. A child, like any
human being, is an end in itself, not a means.
To sum up: Human procreation
must take place within marriage. One may
not use the sperm or egg of a third party
— it robs the child of its right to be
related to its parents, and violates the
unity of marriage (it is like adultery).
Conception must be the result of human
intercourse, between a husband and his wife,
as this intercourse is an act of spiritual
and physical unity. Conception may not
be the result of a technical act of scientific
or medical technique. Even if done between
spouses, it separates the two goods of
marriage (loving union and procreation)
and violates the meaning of marriage. (Summary
of material in Health Care Ethics, by Ashley
and O'Rourke).
I hope this is clear and helpful.
Mary Ann
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