The pope is pressing for a ban on artificial procreation and called on science and fertility experts to resist “easy income, or even worse the arrogance of taking the place of the Creator.”

He's old and approaching senility... what does he know. Modern fertility techniques can be awesome.

It says this:
"On Saturday, the Pope did offer hope for couples who are struggling to become parents: He said the church encourages medical research on infertility."

Medical reasearch to do what, exactly? If you cannot do anything with the cards you've been dealt (not able to get pregnant without help), what does he mean by that? Medical research to do what???

Totally crazy and ridiculous!

Since when does the Pope rule the world?

jill in nj,

In answer to your question, the Catholic prohibition is on artificial insemination, in other words the fertilization of an egg outside of a woman's body or delivery of sperm through artificial means. It is not a ban on seeking medical help for infertility.

In other words, the Catholic church supports medical research on raising sperm counts or surgeries to unblock fallopian tubes, that sort of thing. Something that will facilitate fertilization through "natural" methods.

Hope that helps clear things up.

For a group that can't even keep their own "employees" under control without paying out huge out-of-court settlements to traumatized parishioner families, all the while sweeping madly under rugs and moving their workers all over the planet while in denial... well, something just doesn't sit right.

I know it doesn't mean anything. I think most people know that I'm not a religious believer of any kind.

I was just clearing up the meaning and intent in Catholic dogma concerning fertility treatments and research... in what jill was asking.

Their prohibition of artificial insemination does not mean a ban seeking help with conceiving a child. It's the methods used which they are concerned with.

Tell that to the aliens ;)

Is the Pope competing with Santorum?....maybe the Pope show up at the brokered convention!? Wow what a Show!

I just find it amazing that the church can tell a couple that badly wants to have a baby that option 1 and 2 are ok, but option 3 - which may be the only option that works for that couple - is not ok. The church is telling that couple that you cannot use a medical procedure that has proven to work. They are attempting to prevent that couple from bringing a baby into the world that will undoubtably be very loved. I'll just never understand it.

But I know a number of women who, in spite of being Catholic, have pursued IVF. I know an even larger number of them who use birth control... most of them really.

I don't agree with the church's stance on fertility treatments but just wanted to make sure that people were arguing the matter from an informed stance, not one based on flawed information. There are plenty of reasons to disagree with the dogma without the incorrect info.

Oh, and since I don't think we've met... welcome! Nice to meet you.

The leaders are so out of touch with reality. Their parishioners do as they please and ignore the dogma.

True.

Politicians who trumpet Catholic stance against birth control are the same ones who conveniently forget that the Chuch is also against the death penalty and war.

I don't understand the stand the Catholic church takes on this issue. After all, it is a live child, a child in every biological way, a new little soldier of Christ I would presume, so does the Church look upon the child itself as having a lacking? I don't think so, really. So have the parents committed a Mortal Sin if the Child is accepted and baptised as a Catholic?

It could get confusing. I first heard of the church's stand when a friend of mine (one of the first handful having I.V. in the country in the very early 80's) talked about how awful it really was as a means to having a child, a real emotional roller coaster, but how worth it it all was in the end. She was a Catholic, and after she left, another woman who is a Fundamentalist Catholic (I swear, cultish in nature, won't attend Mass if it's not said in Latin, will not go at all! and years ago, had the fundamentalist priest regularly perform some sort of exorcism over her child (a few words) because the child is very hard to handle. I swear.) Anyway, since she knew I was also a non-practicing Catholic she told me in hushed terms that the child really wasn't considered having a soul by the church because they had the child created instead of making it the natural way.

That was the ickiest conversation I ever had. How I kept a straight face I will never know, but I did my best to divert her attention to 'something shiny' to get her OUT of my face.

Yes... welcome, Jill... and anyone else who has recently joined us out in the open! ;-)

Maybe it's just media hype to distract, but it sure seems like every religious wackadoodle on the planet suddenly has the spotlight.

And I would wholeheartedly agree with Labrea... though I don't understand it one bit... cherry picking, indeed! What's the point if you're only going to follow the parts you like and throw out the rest?

I'll copy what I posted above...

the Catholic prohibition is on artificial insemination, in other words the fertilization of an egg outside of a woman's body or delivery of sperm through artificial means.

That includes both IVF and AI.

So which part were you unsure of?

Most likely, yes. And I suspect sometime soon.

Like most religions, Catholic attendance (and therefore donations) is dropping. They will need to start connecting to their congregations more or face losing them.

Adapt or die.

What's new about that Name me a church that doesn't have it's circus going on in the background.....just dig long enough, you will find it.

The Catholic church makes the Mormon church sound boring, childish and completely unoriginal in their nutty stuff.