Many married couples experience the pain of infertility, and while children are among the greatest blessings, not all methods of expanding one’s family are morally good.
The following resources are available to help Catholics understand the Church’s teaching on marriage and the procreation of children and to provide support and guidance for married couples who are experiencing difficulty having children.
These materials can be shared piecemeal in many ways, for example in parish bulletins and newsletters, on websites and social media, incorporated into talks, or used for personal prayer and reflection.
A Catholic Primer on In Vitro Fertilization
This three-page handout addresses common questions about IVF from the Catholic perspective and is available in English and Spanish.
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Parish Leader Kit: IVF & Other Assisted Reproductive Technologies
The resources compiled in this toolkit are available to help Catholics understand the Church’s teaching on marriage and the procreation of children and to provide support and guidance for married couples who are experiencing difficulty having children. This toolkit is available in English and Spanish.
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Church Documents and Teachings
- Life Giving Love in an Age of Technology (PDF), USCCB, November 17, 2009 (Spanish)
- Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of a Person), Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, December 12, 2008 (Spanish)
- Donum Vitae (Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation), Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 22, 1987 (Spanish)
- Humanae Vitae: On the Regulation of Birth, Pope Paul VI, July 25, 1968 (Spanish)
Resources
- Parish Leader Kit: IVF & Other Assisted Reproductive Technologies (February 2025, English/Spanish)
- Notes for Clergy: Addressing IVF with the Flock (February 2025, English/Spanish)
- A Catholic Primer on In Vitro Fertilization (January 2025, English/Spanish)
- Backgrounder: In Vitro Fertilization: The Human Cost (March 2025)
- Can fertility awareness (NFP) help some couples conceive?
Articles and Publications
- Seven Considerations While Navigating Infertility, 2016 Respect Life Program
(Order: English | Spanish) - Children as Commodities?, 2014 Respect Life Program (en español)
(Order: English | Spanish) - Life Matters: Reproductive Technology, 2011 Respect Life Program (en español)
(Order: English | Spanish) - Hope for Married Couples Who Want to Have a Child, 2010 Respect Life Program (en español)
(Order: English | Spanish) - Addressing Infertility with Compassion and Clarity, 2009 Respect Life Program (en español)
(Order: English | Spanish)
News Releases and Statements
- IVF Destroys Human Life, Bishops Urge Ethical Alternatives (February 20, 2025)
- Each Life has Immeasurable Value from the Moment of Conception, says Bishop Burbidge on IVF Issues (March 8, 2024)
Testimony and Letters
- Letter to Congressional Leaders Opposing Expansion of IVF in National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (December 4, 2024)
- Letter to the Senate Supporting the RESTORE Act and Opposing the Right to IVF Act (June 13, 2024)
- Letter to the Senate Opposing the IVF Protection Act (June 7, 2024)
- (February 28, 2024)