The Catastrophe of Cryopreservation

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a process in which an egg is fertilized by a sperm outside of the body, or "in Vitro". In Latin, the term is literally translated as "in glass" and this is because the fertilization is often done within a glass petri-dish or a test tube. The process is usually used to help treat couple infertility when other methods of ART (artificial or assisted reproductive technologies) have failed. The usual method involves gamete collection by ovarian stimulation and masturbation, the combination of the two in a petri dish or test tube to cause fertilization, and then the transfer of the fertilized embryos back to the uterus. However, most IVF clinics harvest multiple embryos to ensure the success of fertilization and since only one fertilized embryo will be able to be transferred back into the uterus, the other embryos that managed to be fertilized will often be preserved in a process known a cryopreservation. Cryopreservation is a process in which cells, whole tissues, or in this case whole embryos, are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures in liquid nitrogen.

The Catholic Church views cryopreservation of embryos as incompatible with the respect owed to human embryos, for they are put in serious risk of death, for many do not survive the freezing process. Additionally, these embryos are temporally deprived of maternal reception and gestation.

Then, if cryopreservation of embryos is incompatible with Catholic doctrine, what is the Church's response concerning what to do with the frozen embryos that are already in existence?

• It has been proposed to use these frozen embryos for research. The Catholic church has responded that this proposal is unacceptable because it treats these embryos as simply "biological material" that will be destructed. 
• It has been proposed to harvest stem cells from these frozen embryos to treat diseases. The Catholic church has responded that this proposal is unacceptable for the same reasons as above.
• It has been proposed to use the frozen embryos to treat further infertility. The Catholic church has responded that this proposal is unacceptable for the same reasons that IVF is unacceptable, because it separates the procreative and unitive functions of sexual intercourse.
• It has been proposed that the frozen embryos be offered up for prenatal adoption. The Catholic church has responded that while praiseworthy in its attempt to respect and defend human lives, this proposal still raises many problems  for the same reasons above.

Thus, the final ultimatum of Pope John Paul II and the Catholic church was that there is no licit or ethical response to this catastrophe that has been created. The Church concludes that "all things considered, it needs to be recognized that the thousands of abandoned embryos represent a situation of injustice  that can not be resolved". This being the case, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have made pleas to the scientific community that the production of human embryos be halted, taking into account that there seems to be no licit solution regarding the human dignity and destiny of thousands upon thousands of frozen embryos.