Southern Baptist Convention votes against in vitro fertilization

Thousands of Southern Baptists voted against the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) during a national convention on Wednesday.

Attendees of the Southern Baptist Convention voted approve a resolution “On the Ethical Realities of Reproductive Technologies and the Dignity of the Human Embryo” on Wednesday afternoon, after hearing from many people about their own experiences with IVF. The vote signals opposition to the procedure among many Southern Baptists, but it is not an enforceable declaration.

The resolution called on Southern Baptists “to reaffirm the unconditional value and right to life of every human being, including those in the embryonic stage, and only use reproductive technologies consistent with that affirmation, especially in the number of embryos generated in the process of infertility. vitro. ”

The resolution also said that IVF “increasingly engages in dehumanizing methods of determining fitness for life and genetic classification.”

Several delegates, called “messengers”, spoke about their personal connections to IVF, which has become a hotly debated topic in recent months. A last-minute change suggested that IVF is supported in some circumstances, but this failed.

Zach Sahadak, who is a member of a church in Ohio, said his son was born through in vitro fertilization and that his wife is now pregnant again through the procedure.

“I have 10 embryos that I love and with all my being we will have or see being born into a Christian family and no one can stop us from making this decision. I am for the sanctity of life and the sanctity of embryos,” he said, according to a live broadcast of the event.

“I am against the idea that this technology is so perverse that it cannot be used,” he added.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on legislation for in vitro fertilization protections that has been introduced by a trio of Democrats. Senate Democrats blocked competing legislation from Republicans on the issue on Wednesday.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story