Johnston Published an Op-Ed on Fox News Sharing His Family’s IVF Story
In August 2024, Johnston published an op-ed on Fox News titled “I’m a Pro-Life Pastor Who Is Very Thankful the Miracle of IVF Allowed Me To Become a Dad.”
In the op-ed, Johnston defended IVF, because it allows “parents to fulfill their God-given desire to nurture a child.” Johnston described IVF as a “blessing to parents of all religions and political persuasions.”
Johnston shared that he and his wife struggled with infertility for five “painfully long” years. “[We] eventually came to a crossroads. We could give up, or we could pursue the modern medical miracle of IVF,” he said.
The pastor went on to say that “what a handful of lawmakers and a few judges fail to understand is that an embryo doesn’t always transform into a pregnancy or develop into a child—whether that’s entirely naturally in the womb or with help via medical procedures like IVF.”
“An embryo is not synonymous with a child. That was true even before IVF existed,” he added. “Only when an embryo successfully attaches in a mother’s womb does a child begin its beautiful journey to soon living an independent life.”
Johnston said that “the whole purpose of being pro-life is to see the value in children and help moms and dads enjoy their God-given ability to raise them. It seems not only misguided but counter-productive to limit a way for families to enjoy the blessing of children.”
“Pro-life means supporting the path to pregnancy, not hindering it,” said Johnston. “Prohibiting IVF will indeed prevent children from entering our world. Whereas defending IVF will allow future parents to fulfill their God-given desire to nurture a child.”
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