“This book was written to help you see and understand that God is the Giver of life. You are his child. He cares deeply about you. When you hurt, he hurts with you.” —from the Introduction Infertility is the profoundly wounding experience of many couples, often leading to feelings of despair and shame as they grapple with shattered dreams and unanswered questions. But God does not leave them alone in their pain. The Creator and Redeemer of life has not forsaken the infertile, but has called and equipped them to participate in his church, kingdom, and mission. Overflowing with warmth and sensitivity, this book explores what the Bible says about infertility, helping the church walk alongside couples struggling with infertility and assessing the ethical issues surrounding common fertility treatments and reproductive technologies.

Endorsed by the Christian Medical Association.A Comprehensive Christian Guide to the Challenges of Infertility• Medical • Ethical • Emotional • Marital • Spiritual • BiblicalInfertility changes everything, shattering dreams and breaking hearts. But hope is available—today more than ever. The Infertility Companion draws on the Bible and on current medical knowledge, including the latest research, to shed light on such questions as:•Can people of faith ethically use high-tech infertility treatments?•How do we make moral, biblical decisions about medical treatment, third-party reproduction, stem cell research, and embryo adoption? •Is God punishing me? •Does God even care?•Will adoption increase our chances of getting pregnant?•How can we reduce the stress of infertility on our marriage relationship?•How can we keep sex from becoming a chore?These theologically trained authors have taught at a variety of conferences on infertility, pregnancy loss, and adoption, and they have helped thousands of couples to face the future through their message of encouragement. The Infertility Companion includes discussion questions and a workbook suitable for individuals, couples, or small groups. Full of practical tips and true stories, this book will guide couples past the ethical pitfalls of assisted reproductive technologies as they travel the difficult road ahead.An all-encompassing guide for the Christian infertility patient. Where other books fall short, this “companion” aids the patient not only with the physical and emotional aspects of this journey, but also helps answer the tough spiritual and ethical questions that arise in a couple’s desire to conceive.—Julie Watson, Conceiving Concepts

The use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is on the rise in our culture as an alternative for couples facing infertility issues and single women desiring to have children. Is it right – morally, ethically, biblically – to engage this new technology? Are there some aspects of ART that are more acceptable than others? Outside the Womb: The Ethics of Reproductive Technologies addresses the whole issue of “making life”, providing valuable information, both theologically and scientifically, for Christian couples to reflect upon as they consider the various fertility treatments.

More than 1 in 10 couples experience infertility, finding themselves in a “desert”—lost and abandoned, hungering and thirsting, praying and waiting—for a child. Discover the direction, nourishment, and faith provided within this spiritual resource for infertile Catholic couples, their families, and friends. Personal reflections from Catholic women struggling with infertility evoke a heartfelt realism, while passages from Scripture and prayers from the Book of Psalms provide the comfort and hope to trust in God, the “Divine Physician.”

While reproduction is fairly often touched upon in theological and Christian ethical discussions, reproductive health is not. However, reproductive health is a matter of theological and ethical concern. Discussion pertaining to reproductive health includes a number of debates about, for instance, abortion and the termination of pregnancy, reproductive loss, childlessness, infertility, stillbirth, miscarriage and adoption. Additionally, new reproductive possibilities made available by the development of reproductive technology have necessitated theological and ethical reflection on, for example, surrogacy, post-menopausal pregnancies, litter births, single mothers or fathers by choice, in vitro fertilisation and the so-called saviour siblings. These new developments compel us to reconceive our notions of what reproductive health is or should be. Many of these topics are receiving increasing attention in a variety of theological publications. The focus of this volume is unique, however, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first volume dealing not only with reproductive issues, but also reflecting theologically and ethically on reproductive health. It makes a contribution by providing a variety of perspectives from different theological fields on this theme, and in many chapters, focussing especially on the South African context. These discussions are also part of urgent debates within churches, which require developing life-giving theological language and imaginative theological alternatives that may speak to experiences of matters relating to reproductive health. The popular books, TV series and films that touch upon these discussions – including The Handmaid’s Tale and Mother! – strengthen the perception that a more in-depth theological and ethical discussion on the theme may be necessary, particularly towards exploring stories and confessions from our faith tradition that may provide us with a timely opportunity to do the important work of theological ‘reconceiving’.

Arthur L. Caplan It is commonly said, especially when the subject is assisted reproduction, that medical technology has out stripped our morality. Yet, as the essays in this volume make clear, that is not an accurate assessment of the situ ation. Medical technology has not overwhelmed our moral ity. It would be more accurate to say that our society has not yet achieved consensus about the complex ethical iss ues that arise when medicine tries to assist those who seek its services in order to reproduce. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of ethical opinion about what we ought to do with respect to the use of surrogate mothers, in vitro fertil ization, embryo transfer, artificial insemination, or fertil ity drugs. Nor is it entirely accurate to describe assisted repro duction as technology. The term "technology" carries with it connotations of machines buzzing and technicians scurrying about trying to control a vast array of equip ment. Yet, most of the methods used to assist reproduc tion that are discussed in this volume do not involve exotic technologies or complicated hardware. It is technique, more than technology, that dominates the field of assisted reproduction. Efforts to help the infertile by means of the manipu lation of human reproductive materials and organs date 1 2 Caplan back at least to Biblical times. Human beings have en gaged in all manner of sexual practices and manipulations in attempts to achieve reproduction when nature has balked at allowing life to begin.