Egg Donation - Religious Views

Religious Views

Some Christian leaders indicate that IVF is acceptable (but they should ensure that no fertilized embryos are discarded in the process). Many Christian couples who cannot have children thus can go for IVF, with both the husband's sperm and the wife's egg and this is in line with the church's teaching.

However the question gets trickier with donor eggs.

There are also some Christian leaders (especially Catholic) who are concerned about all in vitro fertility therapies because they disrupt the natural act of conceiving a child where gamete donations, both egg and sperm donations, are seen to "compromise the marital bond and family integrity". and they encourage infertile couples to consider adoption instead.

In the Muslim Community, Sunnis are allowed fertility treatments that do not involve third parties. This rule does not allow for the donation of gametes. Shi’ite Muslims on the other hand are allowed to accept egg donations, although there are some details that prevent egg donation in some countries and regions.

The permission to use an egg donor for Jewish couples is based on the decision of a rabbi, although there is no consensus in the orthodox community as to whether a child is Jewish based on the religious status of the genetic or gestational mother. This distinction is important since a Jewish egg donor may be needed. This is not an issue in the reform community since only one parent, either the mother or father, must be Jewish for the child to be considered Jewish. In the orthodox community the mother must be Jewish for the child to be Jewish.