Bishops urge Labor Department to reject expanding IVF insurance coverage

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other Catholic organizations have submitted public comments to the Labor Department requesting the rejection of a proposed regulation regarding in vitro fertilization (IVF) insurance coverage. The proposed rule change would create a category of limited excepted benefits, allowing employers more opportunities to offer coverage for IVF and other fertility treatments.

In a 17-page letter submitted by legal counsel, the bishops stated they support expanding fertility coverage that respects the natural procreation process and unborn embryonic life, but they oppose the inclusion of IVF. The bishops' comment claims that IVF practices in the United States result in the death or freezing of hundreds of thousands to over a million preborn children annually.

The bishops noted that IVF cycles often produce multiple fertilized eggs, many of which die, are destroyed, or are kept in cryopreservation. They also characterized the genetic screening used to select embryos for implantation as a form of eugenics that eliminates children deemed genetically inferior.