11.01.2004

Not God's Will, My Ass

I just read this. For those of you wanting to spare yourselves the glance at the article I will post a short piece:

The world just learned that "Catholic" actress Brooke Shields is the proud mother of a new baby girl. For a long time infertility problems made it impossible for her and her husband to conceive, and after many failed attempts to conceive naturally she resorted to the technological solution: in vitro fertilization (IVF). Now she is pictured on the covers of glamorous magazines with a smiling beautiful baby girl, but some have questioned her decision to use IVF. I am one of them. Was this star wrong to have a "test tube" baby?Yes. Dead wrong.

While recognizing the pain of infertile couples and their natural desire to have a child, the Church reminds us that childbearing is a natural end of marriage, but it is not a guarantee. In the course of my ministry, I have met so many couples who were not blessed with children and humbly accepted this reality by offering their marriage for another generous end such as adoption or fostering children. I have also known couples who solved a fertility problem by prayer - yes, prayer! God is not limited by natural barriers to conception: He just wants us to find our happiness in His Will. Some couples seek happiness in something that is not overtly the Will of God and are willing to tempt God to achieve it. Brooke Shields and her husband could have humbly accepted their situation and become the national advocates for adoption instead of IVF, but they chose instead to tell God that they were going to have a child at any cost. This is both immoral and dangerous.

My analysis shows that the person who wrote this is insane. I can think of no other explanation for these words. The God I believe in does not work this way. The God I believe in would not keep someone from having a child. This God would not be responsible for miscarriages or chemical pregnancies. My God would encourange using all of our resources to accomplish our goals - in this case, use IVF to obtain pregnancy. The God that I pray to does not know this person and is embarrased by her remarks. As am I.