This past June, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill that aimed to protect those “involved in the provision of assisted reproduction; providing that a fertilized egg or human embryo that exists before implantation in a human uterus is not a person for legal purposes…,” and require “certain public and private health insurers to provide certain coverage for the treatment of infertility and fertility preservation.”[1]

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Governor Lombardo vetoed the bill because he believed it left too much room open for individuals and clinics to sue state and local governments if either felt that their “right” to fertility care was being “substantially burdened.” Given that we have a government that is trying to set a precedent among society that In Vitro Fertilization is a right that should be provided for “free” to every citizen,[2] this is a valid concern. His other motive for vetoing was a fiscal concern - there just isn’t enough funding to mandate that insurance cover these procedures. While Lombardo’s reasons are valid, he missed the most basic issue with IVF, the main fertility treatment that this bill would cover - it treats embryonic human beings as objects. The main issue isn’t a question of lawsuits or finances; it’s a question of how society views its most vulnerable persons.

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If there were a bill mandating that mothers choose which of their children they want to keep and which ones they want to kill, and protected anyone involved in providing her with services to carry this out, almost everyone would find this abhorrent. Many do not view the IVF process in the same manner as killing “already born” children, but those of us who acknowledge the reality that life begins at fertilization, know “The body of a human being, from the very first stages of its existence, can never be reduced merely to a group of cells. The embryonic human body develops progressively according to a well-defined program with its proper finality, as is apparent in the birth of every baby.”[3]

 

 

Violation of the dignity of the human person and the common good

 

Those who honor the inherent worth of every human being from the moment of fertilization must focus on the dignity of the human person and the common good. The recognition of the dignity of the human person is where the notion of human rights begins, and the Church's focus is on human rights that flow from one’s dignity and towards one’s eternal destiny. Through the trial-and-error transfer process that transfers multiple embryos in the hopes that one child will survive the entire process, IVF treats embryos as potentially disposable. And, further, all embryo adoption denies children of, as stated in Donum Vitae, the right to be "conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the world and brought up within marriage, [because] it is through the secure and recognized relationship to his own parents that the child can discover his own identity and achieve his own proper human development….”

 

The “common good”[4] promotes social conditions which are owed to the common dignity of every human person—conditions that allow for not just material, but spiritual fulfillment. Those who condone IVF often do so because they believe that the procedure brings life into the world. However, IVF facilitators routinely prefer having about ten to 12 mature eggs available with which to work.[5] If a woman hopes to have one child, depending on her age and on average, about 80 percent of her eggs will fertilize. So, if there are 10 eggs, then about 8 of them will fertilize, and between one-third to one-half of these embryos will actually implant,[6] and even fewer will result in a live birth, if at all.[7]

 

As endocrinologist Dr. Lauren Rubal states, if an IVF cycle yields 12 embryos, after they undergo preimplantation genetic screening, about half of the embryos will continue to mature, and about half will be considered “chromosomally normal,” leaving the other three to be outright discarded. In addition to Dr. Craig Turczynski’s research showing that embryos who appear abnormal often result in chromosomally “normal” babies, and vice versa.[8] Dr. Rubal seconded these findings. Dr. Rubal stated that it’s possible to biopsy the wrong area of chromosomes in an embryo and be incorrect about a diagnosis.[9] However, even diagnoses that are indeed not “incompatible with life,” such as those with Down syndrome, trisomy 18, or Turner’s syndrome, are automatically deemed “non-transferrable.” And if these embryonic persons are fortunate enough to be deemed “transferrable,” then they run the risk of being “selectively reduced” if further imperfections are found, or if “too many” children implanted.[10] The “extra” embryonic human persons who are not transferred are either placed into frozen limbo, where they may or may not be granted the privilege of eventually being transferred and surviving, or they’re destroyed by outright disposal or by being donated to scientific research.[11] These are situations that children would never be placed in without a multi-billion dollar industry that promotes manufacturing children in laboratories, as only the children who survive the laboratory creation process are deemed worthy of value and dignity.

 

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Alternative treatments to IVF

 

Instead of mandating insurance coverage for fertility treatments like IVF, more funding should be given to restorative reproductive medicine treatments. The IVF industry often fails women in helping them seek these alternative, restorative methods. It is the duty of every physician to not abandon their patients to the money-hungry, multi-million-dollar IVF industry,[12] and instead help them to seek alternative, RRM treatments that balance hormones, help make lifestyle changes,[13] detox heavy metals,[14] and provide surgeries[15] that restore overall health[16] as opposed to simply masking fertility issues. Physicians trained in this technology utilize ultrasounds, x-rays, blood tests, exploratory surgery, and other tests to pinpoint underlying disorders and hormonal imbalances. Treatments include post-coital tests with samples collected via perforated condom, medical treatments for ovulatory issues, assessments of uterine and tubal structure,[17] diagnosing and treating hormone or immune issues,[18] and surgical procedures such as endometriosis excision surgery, wedge resection for polycystic ovarian syndrome,[19] and selective hysterosalpingogram for blocked tubes.[20]

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Physicians are called to heal, to “do no harm,” and to uphold the innate worth and dignity of every human being. IVF is not healing, nor does it honor the worth and dignity of embryonic persons. IVF provides women with unnecessary medications, [21] risking unnecessary side effects,[22] leaves underlying fertility conditions unhealed, and prejudices every single human being created as potentially disposable. This is human experimentation, not medicine.

 

We all share the same human dignity and human nature, and we are all responsible for one another. Every human being is given the gift of dignity, and it is up to us to act in accord with that dignity by making choices that do not cause scandal and lead others astray.[23] IVF reinforces the idea in society and paints an image to the children conceived in this manner that the separation of the unitive and procreative nature of the conjugal act is morally acceptable. Affronts to human dignity and alternative, healing treatments are what politicians should be focusing on, not merely concerns about financial or legal matters.

 

 

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[1] “SB217 Text,” 2025. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bill/12292/Text.

[2] The White House. 2025. “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Expands Access to in Vitro Fertilization (IVF).” The White House. February 18, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-expands-access-to-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/.

‌[3] Levada, Cardinal William. 2008. “Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Bioethical Questions, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.” www.vatican.va. September 8, 2008. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20081208_dignitas-personae_en.html.

[4] “Propositions on the Dignity and Rights of the Human Person.” 1983. www.vatican.va. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_1983_dignita-diritti_en.html.

[5] “Are 9 Eggs Good for IVF? In Vitro Fertilization Number of Eggs.” n.d. RMA Network - Fertility Clinic. https://rmanetwork.com/blog/number-of-eggs-good-ivf-in-vitro-fertilization/.

[6] Rodrigo, Andrea, et.al. 2022. “How many eggs do you need to obtain to perform IVF?” InviTRA. October 21, 2022. https://www.invitra.com/en/number-of-eggs-obtained/.

[7] Martin, Daniel, and Simon Caldwell. 2011. “THIRTY Embryos Created for Every Baby Born by IVF... And Thousands Are Thrown Away.” Mail Online. Daily Mail. July 22, 2011. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2017821/THIRTY-embryos-created-baby-born-IVF--thousands-thrown-away.html.

[8] Turczynski, Craig, Alexa Dodd, and Mary Anne Urlakis. 2022. “Assisted Reproductive Technology and Natural Law: How Seven Years as an Embryologist Revealed IVF’s Disordered Approach to Patient Care.” The Linacre Quarterly, October, 002436392211283. https://doi.org/10.1177/00243639221128393.

[9] Allie Beth Stuckey. 2024. “Former IVF Doctor Blows the Whistle on Shocking Practices | Guest: Dr. Lauren Rubal | Ep 1018.” YouTube. June 12, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l2Z12OcAzQ.

[10] Beriwal, Sridevi, Lawrence Impey, and Christos Ioannou. 2020. “Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction and Selective Termination.” The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 22 (4): 284–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/tog.12690.

‌[11] Rossant, Janet. 2024. “Why Study Human Embryo Development?” Developmental Biology 509 (May): 43–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2024.02.001.

[12] Yahoo Finance. 2022. “In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Market Size to Hit $1036.7 Million by 2028 | Global IVF Industry Trends, Share, Competitive Analysis & Forecast Report.” Yahoo.com. Yahoo Finance. September 17, 2022. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vitro-fertilization-ivf-market-size-184800679.html.

[13] “Fertility Foundations – Practical Mama Wellness.” 2025. Practicalmamawellness.com. 2025. https://practicalmamawellness.com/?page_id=3022.

[14] Fertility Homeopath. “Your Fertility & Heavy Metal Toxicity | Unexplained Infertility & Miscarriages,” November 5, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELDfanpdpKE.

[15] “Surgical NaProTECHNOLOGY,” n.d. https://naprotechnology.com/surgical/.

[16] FEMM Health. “Home - FEMM Health,” August 19, 2024. https://femmhealth.org/.

[17] Klaus, Hanna. Reproductive Technology Evaluation and Treatment of Infertility Guidelines for Catholic Couples. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2020. https://www.usccb.org/resources/Reproductive%20Technology%20Guidelines%20for%20Catholic%20Couples%20updated_0.pdf.

[18] Iirrm. “Hope After IVF : Restorative Reproductive Medicine.” International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine, February 1, 2024. https://iirrm.org/hope-after-ivf-rrm/.

[19] “Surgical NaProTECHNOLOGY,” n.d. https://naprotechnology.com/surgical/.

[20] Hilgers, Thomas W, and Patrick Yeung. 1999. “Intratubal Pressure before and after Transcervical Catheterization of the Fallopian Tubes.” Fertility and Sterility 72 (1): 174–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(99)00165-x.

[21] Moore, Monica. 2024. “What Medications Are Used during an IVF Cycle?” Illumefertility.com. Illume Fertility. July 14, 2024. https://www.illumefertility.com/fertility-blog/what-medications-used-during-ivf-cycle.

[22] Lee, H. Christina and Family Fertility Center. “Side Effects of Gonadotropins,” May 26, 2018. https://familyfertility.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/3-Side-Effects-of-Gonadotropins-20180526.pdf.

[23] Catholic Church. 1994. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Liguori, Mo: Liguori Publications.

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