For several years there was\u00c2\u00a0debate among orthodox Catholic moral theologians about the morality of embryo adoption.\u00c2\u00a0 After much time and prayerful consideration, the Church spoke definitively on the matter in the document Dignitatis Personae<\/a>,\u00c2\u00a0written in 2008 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.\u00c2\u00a0 It gives moral guidance on the many new\u00c2\u00a0medical procedures available to people today, including embryo adoption (which was determined to be illicit).\u00c2\u00a0 The full text of the document\u00c2\u00a0can be read at the link above.<\/p>\n

Many years ago, when it appeared that the Church was going to approve of embryo adoption for married couples, I was advised that it was licit, even heroic,\u00c2\u00a0for my husband and me to do so.\u00c2\u00a0 We then adopted three frozen embryos from a friend of mine, a young mother of five,\u00c2\u00a0who was dying of pancreatic cancer.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Shortly after she died, all\u00c2\u00a0three embryos\u00c2\u00a0perished in the thaw–on March 30, 2002.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0It was a day of great sadness, I can tell you.\u00c2\u00a0 That sadness was turned\u00c2\u00a0into great joy when on March 30, 2003 (one year to the day!), our daughter\u00c2\u00a0Cecilia was born, and we adopted her from China the following year.<\/p>\n

So as not to confuse anyone, I have removed from my website the series of articles I wrote about\u00c2\u00a0our embryo\u00c2\u00a0adoption while it was taking place.There is great freedom to be found in the teaching authority of the Church.\u00c2\u00a0 And as one friend put it, “A river without levees is a flood.”\u00c2\u00a0 As a Katrina survivor, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the levees.<\/p>\n

It’s not easy to be obedient in the matter of faith and morals when it costs you a great deal,\u00c2\u00a0but how beautiful is the gift of our freedom when it is given to God in trusting love.\u00c2\u00a0 He will never be outdone in generosity!\u00c2\u00a0 Just look at that smile…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For several years there was\u00c2\u00a0debate among orthodox Catholic moral theologians about the morality of embryo adoption.\u00c2\u00a0 After much time and prayerful consideration, the Church spoke definitively on the matter in the document Dignitatis Personae,\u00c2\u00a0written in 2008 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.\u00c2\u00a0 It gives moral guidance on the many new\u00c2\u00a0medical procedures available […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n