Catholic bishops are asking lawmakers to reject legislation that would mandate insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a fertility treatment that violates Catholic teachings on life and human reproduction.
US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sent a letter Raised concerns over the bill before Congress on April 29 (HR 8119), which its sponsor, Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, has named the Helping Optimize Patients’ Experience with Fertility Services Act (HOPE).
Under the bill, which has the support of 18 Republicans and Democrats, insurance companies would face a civil penalty of $100 per day if they offer plans that exclude coverage of IVF. The text clearly shows no exemption for religious employers, even though IVF is opposed by both the USCCB and the Southern Baptist Convention.
In the letter, Bishop expressed concern about the loss of embryonic human life integrally associated with the IVF process, stating that, as practiced in the US, it represents a “relatively unregulated industry that produces hundreds of thousands or even millions of preborn babies who will be frozen for eternity, expended in efforts to keep them close to the mother, or discarded and killed (often in a selective, eugenic manner).
“In addition to such mass deaths, IVF poses health risks to both women and the children born as a result of it,” the letter said. “IVF commodifies children and, in many cases, also humans, including donors or surrogates. Moreover, it ignores the right of children to be conceived naturally, by their own married mother and father, free from technological manipulation.”
The bishops also expressed religious freedom concerns in their letter. He noted that proponents claim that inserting the mandate into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) would not impact religious employers.
“The fact is that many religious employers who are otherwise exempt from ERISA, however, choose to provide health insurance under ERISA to their employees because state law exemptions to ERISA allow them to avoid having their conscience violated by state-level insurance requirements (including IVF),” Bishop says.
“A mandate within ERISA would put these employers in a new bind between its requirements and problematic state laws,” he said. “At the same time, plans of certain other religious employers, such as plans of independent religious schools, may not qualify as ERISA-exempt ‘church plans’ in the first place.”
The bishops expressed concern that the insurance mandate could create problems similar to “the famous legal saga of the Little Sisters of the Poor in blocking the contraceptive mandate.”
They warn, “Any new health coverage mandate is likely to trigger years of painful litigation for both charitable, faith-based employer organizations as well as private, for-profit employers who are people of faith.”
In the letter, the bishops express sadness for the “increasing number of families suffering from infertility”, but advocate “life-affirming” fertility treatments that seek to address the root cause of infertility rather than creating human embryos in the laboratory. These treatments are often called restorative reproductive therapy.
“Couples’ deep desire to have children is both good and natural,” he said. “While it can be frustrating to experience infertility, holistic and individualized restorative approaches to fertility care exist that can often help identify and successfully address the root causes.”
“As pastors, we see the suffering that infertility can cause and the deep desire of couples to grow their family,” the bishop said. “We strongly encourage legitimate methods of alleviating this suffering both medically and emotionally.”
The letter was signed by Archbishop Alexander K., chair of the USCCB Committee for Religious Freedom. The sample is signed by; Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; and Bishop Edward J. Burns, Chairman of the Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth Committee.
“Infertility affects millions of families and it does not discriminate. It can affect anyone who wants to start or raise a family,” bill cosponsor Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, said. in a statement. “I know firsthand. Thanks to IVF, my husband and I gave birth to our twins, both now healthy young adults. But after enduring that struggle, I have fought to expand insurance coverage for extremely expensive fertility treatments that may make them accessible only to the very few who can afford them.”
Bill sponsor Nunn and cosponsors did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Bishop’s concerns.
