Legal and Ethical Aspects of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the Teaching of Christian Churches and Religious Associations

The subject matter of the present study concerns the legal and ethical aspects of assisted reproductive technology in the teaching of Christian churches and religious associations. The author analyses the teaching of selected religious entities functioning in the Republic of Poland. The largest Christian community in Poland, as well as worldwide, is the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite. Notably, most references to bioethical problems appear in the teaching of this confession, including those concerning assisted reproductive technology. The author reviews the doctrine of the Catholic Church both from the perspective of both documents adopted by the Holy See and the position of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. The Catholic Church consistently opposes methods of assisted procreation, asserting that conception outside the conjugal act is morally unacceptable. Alongside the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the teaching of the Orthodox Church and Protestant religious communities is also investigated. In Poland, the largest denomination representing the Orthodox Church is the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which has not developed an official position on issues of assisted reproductive technology but follows the universal Orthodox doctrine. The Orthodox Church does not support in vitro fertilisation, yet it does not categorically prohibit it, leaving the decision to the conscience of spouses. Protestant churches do not hold a unified position on assisted reproductive technology. An exception is the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Republic of Poland, which has officially expressed support for the use of in vitro fertilisation.