AFRICA/NIGERIA - President of the Bishops' Conference: "Government must regulate IVF clinics"

Tuesday, 16 September 2025 bishops family healthcare

NIGERIA

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Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – "The government must take measures to regulate IVF clinics," urged Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji of Owerri, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), in his opening remarks at the second plenary assembly of the Bishops' Conference in the Diocese of Ikot Ekpene.
"Though some IVF clinics are run by competent professionals, many others are managed by unqualified practitioners," the Archbishop of Owerri emphasized. "Clients risk financial exploitation, medical complications, permanent infertility, and even death," he emphasized. "The Government must urgently provide regulation and ethical guidelines."
The CBCN president recalled that "the Church considers IVF gravely immoral because it separates the unitive and procreative aspects of marriage and often involves the destruction or freezing of embryos. Every embryo has inherent dignity and a right to life."
Until a few years ago, infertility was a taboo subject in Nigeria, but in recent years, a significant change has taken place in Nigerian society: In vitro fertilization is no longer just a "foreign" solution, but has quickly become a familiar concept throughout Nigeria, often disseminated through social media, where celebrities and influencers promote the practice. Middle-class and wealthy couples, in particular, are resorting to it, as the prioritization of professional careers and financial circumstances are leading more and more Nigerians (especially women) to postpone starting a family. However, fertility declines with age. In vitro fertilization is therefore considered a viable solution. In addition to the issue of the misuse of in vitro fertilization, Archbishop Ugorji pointed to other problems that need to be addressed: the decline of the country's education system, the proper management of oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger Delta, and environmental degradation in the area. Regarding the education sector, the CBCN president called for schools that engage in unfair practices in final examinations to sell educational qualifications to unprepared students in exchange for money to be strictly evaluated, he concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/9/2025)