The following comes from a May 6 National Right to Life News article by Michael Cook:
Sophia Vergara, highest-paid TV actress in the United States, who stars in Modern Family, a popular TV show which depicts the kaleidoscopic formations of contemporary families (at least families in southern California), has become embroiled in a dispute over embryos.
With her former fiancé, Nick Loeb, the scion of a New York banking family, an actor, a failed politician, and successful businessman, she created two female embryos for a surrogate, as she (allegedly) did not want to bear the children herself. Both partners were older – Loeb was 37 and Vergara was 40 — so there was little likelihood of a natural pregnancy. Under a contract that they signed, the embryos could only be implanted if both parties agreed.
That happened in 2013. Then the couple split up. In 2014 Mr Loeb applied to void the contract so that he could proceed with a surrogate pregnancy. Ms Vergara refused. Mr Loeb called in the lawyers and placed his tale of growing up in a divorced home, his dreams of becoming a father, and his failed relationships in a New York Times op-ed. This was the lesson he had learned from those painful years:
“When we create embryos for the purpose of life, should we not define them as life, rather than as property? Does one person’s desire to avoid biological parenthood (free of any legal obligations) outweigh another’s religious beliefs in the sanctity of life and desire to be a parent? A woman is entitled to bring a pregnancy to term even if the man objects. Shouldn’t a man who is willing to take on all parental responsibilities be similarly entitled to bring his embryos to term even if the woman objects?”
Mr Loeb is Jewish by background and Episcopalian by denomination, not Catholic. But he says that he has a great deal of sympathy for Catholic views on the humanity of embryos. He wants his embryos to be born. Ms Vergara (who is Catholic) wants them to remain frozen forever.
“Vergara, who has happily moved on with her life, is content to leave the embryos frozen indefinitely as she has no desire to have children with her ex, which should be understandable given the circumstances,” her lawyers say.
In Loeb’s view, “keeping them frozen forever is tantamount to killing them.” He says, “I take the responsibility and obligation of being a parent very seriously. This is not just about saving lives; it is also about being pro-parent.”
This is the Doctrine of the Faith regarding in-vitro fertilization.
CCC: ” 2376 Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral.
These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ “right to become a father and a mother only through each other.” ”
CCC: ” 2377 Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable.
They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person.
Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children.
Under the moral aspect procreation is deprived of its proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of the conjugal act, that is to say, of the specific act of the spouses’ union . . . . Only respect for the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of the human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the person.”
Sorry Mr. Loeb, you are not sympathetic to the Catholic Faith, or you would not have sinned gravely in the first place.
He is not sympathetic to the Jewish faith either, at least not the Orthodox one.
It is commendable that Mr. Loeb believes in the humanity of the embryo, although this assertion of his may be due more to his desire to be a father to a born baby. The wisdom of the Church’s teaching that the child be the ‘fruit of the conjugal act’ rules out the morality of this unmarried couple’s actions. Too bad someone did not inform him or his “Catholic” fiancee Vergara, that the tiniest of human beings has the right to begin life under the beating heart of his/her mother.
I sincerely doubt if either of these parties had ever been taught the moral issues involved in in vitro. Their ‘wants’ ruled the day, and they had the money to finance the technology.
in one interview, vergara said ‘i have a contract’ as though the document trumped all other issues. it seems that in the civil war, pro-slavers were saying the same ‘ i have a piece of paper. president lincoln, in a generation in which commonsense and ‘natural’ law still ran free in human human heart, knew he didn’t have to prove the humanity and human rights of slaves. and so a war ensued to stop an evil from growing and becoming a permanent deformity on the american experiment.
addendum: the rest of the sentence ‘i have a piece of paper’ should have been ‘that shows i am the owner of pperty–a slave’.
Ahhh Hollyweird – What an example their “Modern Families” make for the rest to follow, which the bored masses do to the tune of Trillion$$.
One almost misses the ‘wholesomeness’ of Charlie Sheen on the 2 1/2 lowlifes show.
Still – My Vote goes to Jennifer Lawrence and the Hunger Games. The Stars play downtrodden workers abused for the amusement of the hyper-decadent degenerates of Capitol City, when their own Hollyweird Lifestyles make the depravity of the Movie’s Capitol look like the kiddie rides at a cheap carnival…
– When compared to the Real Depths of Depravity that would put the likes of a foul mouthed Misandrist and Woman Hater (see his harold & kumar cameo) such as N.P. Harris – in charge of their Academy Awards show.
I say lets all follow their lead – which looks so appealing, after editing and retakes and makeup and ‘hollyweird magic’ help enhance the experience.
Yeah Right – pull the other one, it has bells on it.
Mr. Loeb, the non-Catholic, is correct (although one wonders if his ardor for the embryos has to do with aggression towards his ex or not). Ms. Vergara cannot simply walk away from fertilized embryos, now frozen, simply because she no longer “likes” her prior spouse.
Such uncoupling is sad, but common, in Hollywood. However, there is life here. What to do?
One guesses that Ms. Vergara will simply dispose of these, somewhere down the road.
Where does the Church stand on this issue? It does no good to say that the Catholic view is against this type of procedure, because, there it is, there are now fertilized eggs that exist.
Stumped here (except the obvious of not destroying the embryos).
Our family has never watched immoral, modern tv shows- I assume “Modern Family,” is one of them! If we ever have tv or movies for entertainment, it is just good ol’ classic movies and tv, “suitable for general audiences,” suitable for the whole family!! A silly “I Love Lucy,” “Leave it to Beaver,” or “Lassie” re-run, or else a “classic” movie, from the 1930’s up to the mid-1960’s! Otherwise– no modern “garbage,” for entertainment! As for frozen embryos? I believe this must be ILLEGAL!! The ones already created, should be immediately ordered to be brought to term, and born! After that– NO MORE!! Marriage must be LEGALLY between ONLY one man and one woman– who MUST have the sacred responsibility, of acceptance of any children, which God may NATURALLY send! If sterile– adopt!! As for this bizarre case, of an unmarried man and woman, with the embryo problem– I think the judge should order all the embryos to be brought to term and born, and adopted and raised by a stable MARRIED COUPLE, who could provide the children with a good home!
I will continue, with what I was saying in my first post. I believe in the case of this unstable, immature, unmarried actress and her former boyfriend, that the judge should also order— a CLOSED ADOPTION ONLY, for these brought-to-term and born embryos– so that there will be PEACE in the family, of the children with their loving, responsible, adoptive parents!! The dumb actress and her stupid boyfriend, must give up their rights to these embryos– for the best welfare, of these children! These children all need and deserve– a good chance at life!