Polish bishops have once again called for a total ban on IVF, as competing bills on the issue make their way through parliament.
A statement issued by the bio-ethics experts unit of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate stresses that IVF violates human dignity and the rights of the child and is contrary to Christian faith and “natural law”.
“It’s good that someone is recalling what are the Church’s teachings in this respect and what road should be followed by Christians who cannot have children for various reasons – that adoption is the best solution,” Father Kazimierz Sowa, director of a religious television station, told Polish Radio.
Currently, IVF has no clear legal standing in Poland but no less than six bills on the treatment have been submitted to Parliament. A draft proposing a total ban on IVF, sponsored by a civic committee, was rejected by the lower house. Another bill, banning the procedure, drafted by a deputy of the opposition Law and Justice, provides for adoption of the embryos already created and frozen.
The ruling Civic Platform party is divided on the IVF procedure and its MPs have come up with two different drafts. One introduces legal protection of embryos, another permits the creation of surplus embryos for freezing and selection before implantation.
Should a total in vitro ban be rejected by the Parliament, the Episcopate’s experts appeal to MPs, especially those who are guided by Church teachings, to strive to reduce the harmful aspects of the legal solutions proposed.
Church experts advise childless couples to reach for increasingly effective methods of treating infertility and to consider adoption. (kk/pg)