The Catholic Current Adopting Frozen Embryos? (Matthew McKenna) 11/4/25
Nov 4, 2025
Matthew McKenna, a PhD candidate in theology at Ave Maria University, joins to tackle the complex moral landscape of frozen embryos and IVF. He highlights how IVF creates surplus embryos, raising ethical questions about their fate. Discussion reveals the deceptive marketing of IVF's risks and the shift from procreation to mere reproduction, stripping away spiritual significance. McKenna argues against embryo adoption, citing Church teachings on the sanctity of life and warns of a commodification crisis in fertility treatments. The conversation emphasizes the need for ethical alternatives.
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IVF Produces And Selects Many Embryos
- IVF routinely creates many embryos to increase chances and to select higher-quality ones for implantation.
- Clinics may produce dozens of embryos to filter for traits like intelligence or appearance.
Language Shift Masks Ethical Reality
- Shifting language from procreation to reproduction masks the need for God's role in human creation.
- Treating conception as a purely technical act reduces human dignity and opens the door to further ethical erosion.
Contracts Treat Children As Merchandise
- Fr. McTeigue recounted seeing contracts that require aborting a fetus with detected abnormalities as 'defective merchandise.'
- He also described gay couples commissioning dozens of embryos and discarding those they deem unsuitable.