Procreation and reproduction
Meilaender uses the words of Leon Kass to help us visualize the difference between procreation and reproduction. According to Kass, “The premodern Christian English-speaking world, impressed with the world as given by a Creator, using the term “pro-creation.” We, impressed with the machine and the gross national product (our own work of creation), employ a metaphor of the factory, “reproduction” (Kass, 1985). Meilaender promotes throughout the reading that, procreation is natural and has a divine influence while reproduction (assisted reproduction especially) is unnatural and disturbs God’s divine plan. Meilaender states that a child begotten, not made, symbolizes the union of the mother and father. Being begotten isn’t simply a 50/50 reproduction of the mother and father but, “the power of their mutual love has given rise to another who, though different from them and equal in dignity to them, manifests in his person the love that unites them” (Meilaender, 2013, p. 15). Being begotten is procreation; love-giving leads to life-giving. Procreation “is, by God’s blessing, the internal fruition of the act of love, and it is a task undertaken at God’s command for the sustaining of human life” (Meilaender, 2013, p. 25).Reflecting on Meilaender distinction of procreation versus reproduction and being begotten versus being made, I find myself agreeing halfway with him concerning procreation and being begotten. Across all continents, cultures, races, and religions you find the procreating is normally a time of joy and celebration and a nod towards a higher power, God, for the continuation of human life. I also agree with how Meilaender describes being begotten – the child symbolizes the union and love of the mother and father. Even Meilaender using the Christian view that God gave his only begotten son, Jesus, who was proof of God’s love for us makes complete sense because it agrees with the Christian background that I was raised with.
References
Leon R. Kass, M.D., Toward a More Natural Science (New York: The Free Press, 1985), p.48.
Meilaender, G. (2013). Bioethics: A Primer for Christians (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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