Are you there God? It's me, IVF.

 Yes, we've recovered from the sticker shock.  In fact, for some bizarre reason we seem perfectly okay with the cost.  I couldn't think of a better way to spend $20K on an investment that really would be priceless if things are successful.

So, what have I been stressing over instead?  Oh, the usual like 'What does God think about IVF?', 'What do other religions think about IVF?', 'Will I get fat on all those hormones?' etc.

While I don't know about the weight gain, I did do some research on how different religions view IVF.  Since I'm Methodist and Dave's Catholic (and also an associate member of the Methodist Church) I only focused on these two viewpoints in my Christian search.

Apparently, the United Methodist Church is okay with IVF based on their Book of Resolutions, specifically the Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cells.  They offer some guidelines for embryo production quantity and care.  

Now, what about the Catholic Church?  (Does anyone remember Monty Python's Meaning of Life . . . more specifically the sacred sperm song?)  They have a different view on IVF issued directly from the Vatican.  It's called Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation.  They do not agree with IVF mainly because a third party is used in the conception process (i.e. the embryologist and Dr. Skywalker).  So, does this mean Dave must sin in order for Clan Donovan to win?  (What's a few more Hail Mary's, right?)

As for other religions (not being completely familiar with their terminologies) my research findings were limited.  I did enjoy reading an article from the Jewish Virtual Library.  It actually referenced scripture verses and stories of infertility from Genesis, apparently Rachel used fertility herbs to assist in conceiving (a true pioneer in fertility treatment).  

Muslims generally believe in IVF, as do Buddhist, Taoist and Confucianist.  However, like the afore mentioned religions each has its own views on appropriate uses of IVF (mostly concerning embryo creation).  For those of you curious (or perhaps bored if you actually take the time to read this blog) then you might find these articles interesting:

Making muslim babies:  IVF and gamete donation in Sunni versus Shi'a Islam.

Sociocultural dimensions of infertility and assisted reproduction in the Far East.

Overall, it seems IVF is okay for us, as long as we only use our own eggs and sperm (no donors) and every effort is made to not overproduce embryos or destroy them (mainly through research).  We can all rest better, right?  Now I can stress about reading three chapters on Latin American colonial rule by Monday.