Bishop Joseph Strickland is warning against the growing normalization of IVF, endorsing a new book by Catholic scientist Stacy Trasancos.
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(LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Joseph Strickland has publicly endorsed a book challenging the normalization of in vitro fertiliztion (IVF) in American society—including among conservatives.
“Thank you Dr Trasancos for this important book… IVF is Not the Way – Sophia Institute Press,” Strickland wrote on X, linking to the publisher’s announcement.
The book, by Catholic scientist and theologian Stacy Trasancos, argues that IVF, far from being a morally neutral tool for helping infertile couples, constitutes a fundamental violation of human dignity.
Trasancos combines scientific analysis with Church teaching to show how IVF severs conception from the marital act and leaves countless embryonic children discarded or frozen indefinitely.
Her book responds to rising support for IVF, especially after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children under state law.
A 2024 Pew Research survey found that 70% of Americans view access to IVF as “a good thing,” including majorities of both political parties.
Trasancos, who holds a doctorate in chemistry and a master’s in dogmatic theology, has long warned about the exploitation of children in biomedical research.
In 2015, she exposed the history of experimentation on live babies during abortion, which took place in the 1970s.
In 2020, she spoke out about University of Pittsburgh experiments that grafted scalps from aborted babies onto lab rodents. Bishop Strickland shared this research at the time, calling the practice “crimes against humanity.”
In IVF is Not the Way, Trasancos extends that same concern to the fertility industry. She addresses the pain of infertility with compassion, but argues that good intentions cannot justify immoral means.
Her arguments reflect long-standing Catholic doctrine. In 1949, Pope Pius XII condemned artificial fertilization as a violation of natural and divine law, both inside and outside of marriage:
“Artificial fertilization, outside of marriage is to be condemned outright as immoral. Such is indeed the natural law and the positive divine law, that the procreation of a new life can only be the fruit of marriage," said Pius XII, adding that "artificial fertilization in marriage, but produced by the active element of a third party, is also immoral," and as such is "condemned without appeal."
IVF adds to this the abortion of “unneeded” embryos produced, the immoral freezing of fertilized embryos in cryogenic storage, and the commodification of babies.
Strickland’s endorsement of Trasancos’ book emphasizes the interconnectedness of abortion, artificial fertilization and IVF.
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