Southern Baptist Convention Votes To Oppose IVF As Not 'God-Honoring'

The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution Wednesday opposing the use of in vitro fertilization to conceive children, suggesting it is not a “God-honoring” process and that the U.S. government should thus work to “restrain” it.

The move is notable amid the ongoing right-wing war against reproductive health care. Since the rightward-leaning Supreme Court abolished nationwide abortion rights two years ago, conservatives have sought to limit access to medication that helps prevent pregnancies and medication that helps end them, even though the drugs have long been shown to be safe and effective.

Southern Baptists are the largest protestant denomination in the country. As a demographic, they skew white and Republican.

The vote was held at an annual pastors’ conference, which took place this year in Indianapolis.

One attendee, Daniel Taylor of Charity Baptist Church in Paris, Michigan, stood to recount how difficult — but ultimately fulfilling — it was for a Christian couple he knew to conceive their child through IVF.

“The child who was born was a gift from God,” Taylor said. “His life has so enriched us all… because of him, I thank God for IVF.”

But attendees rejected Taylor’s proposed amendment to the resolution that would allow the procedure under certain circumstances in which embryos were not destroyed.

The process of IVF involves fertilizing an egg in a laboratory setting; the resulting embryo can then be frozen for transfer into a patient’s uterus if it is deemed viable. Some religious conservatives, particularly those who believe life begins from the moment an egg is fertilized, have voiced opposition to the IVF process because it results in some embryos being either destroyed or used for medical