The tagline of a recent Pampers commercial states: “Every baby is a little miracle to celebrate, support and protect.”

To which Patheos blogger Julia Becker asks:

Is it a trite advertising tagline? Or a profound truth?…

Should we celebrate babies born to teenagers? Babies born through in vitro fertilization? Is there a way to celebrate the life of every baby without supporting every means of reproductive technology? What do you think?

This is where I think pro-lifers walk a very fine line. Of course we should celebrate the life of every human being regardless of how they came to be. But at the same time, we do not want to condone or encourage harmful, sinful behavior like IVF and pre-marital sex (and in that regard we have to be careful that the message we send isn’t so negative that it has an adverse effect).

It’s a delicate balancing act, to be sure, but it’s important. Roughly 40% of children in America are born to unwed mothers. While it’s certainly preferable that these women choose life for their unborn children, the breakdown of marriage and family life is corrupting our society and should never be encouraged. Likewise, though the many people whose lives came about through the technology are no less valuable than those conceived naturally, IVF is a grave moral evil that is contrary to the dignity of the child, the dignity of the spouses and their relationship, and Man’s status as a creature.

What do you think? What has been your experience…with a friend or family member pregnant out of wed-lock or turning to IVF because of infertility? Have you found it difficult to strike the balance between loving the innocent child and his parents while not encouraging or approving of the circumstances by which the child came into the world…without coming across as mean or judgmental?