By OBBM Network Editorial Staff

Robert Bortins

Four times as many infants are lost at conception through the IVF industry as are terminated by abortion, according to activist Katie Faust. She describes a market where sperm and eggs are bought, wombs are rented, and children are engineered to fit the preferences of wealthy buyers—often leaving the child without a biological mother or father.

The Business of Building Babies

Faust explains that modern fertility clinics can stimulate a woman’s ovaries for weeks, harvesting ten to twenty eggs in a single cycle. Those eggs are then sold on an open market, paired with donor sperm, and often placed with a surrogate who may have no genetic connection to the child. “You can decide what she eats, what kind of medical care she gets, whether or not she has sex,” she says, highlighting the level of control commissioning parents exert.

This process has birthed a booming surrogacy industry where wealthy individuals rent wombs. Faust cites the example of Fox News host Guy Benson, who publicly announced his second child via surrogacy, noting that prominent conservatives have celebrated such arrangements. The underlying contracts typically include clauses that allow the commissioning parents to demand abortion of any unwanted embryos, even after a gestational carrier has formed an attachment.

Human Cost: Children Without Parents

According to Faust, the IVF industry is responsible for “maybe four times the number of lost little lives” compared to abortion. She argues that children conceived through these contracts lose their biological mother or father before birth, a loss she frames as a form of child neglect. “Statistically, the safest adults in a child’s life are their own mother and their own father,” she asserts, citing research that shows unrelated caregivers pose greater risks of abuse.

Faust also raises alarming anecdotes of children born to male couples or single men through IVF and surrogacy who later turned out to be pedophiles or sex offenders. While she acknowledges that not every case ends tragically, she stresses that the lack of parental bonds creates a dangerous environment for the child.

Predatory Practices Target the Vulnerable

The industry, Faust says, preys first on desperate, infertile couples who are told they “will never have a child unless you use IVF.” Many of these couples are led to believe that IVF is their only hope, even when alternative treatments exist. The second group targeted are low‑income women who rent their wombs to pay mortgages or cover lost jobs. Faust recounts a Florida surrogate who took on the role after losing a high‑paying job, illustrating how economic desperation fuels the market.

She warns that egg donors are often recruited from elite institutions, while surrogates are drawn from financially strained backgrounds, creating a stark exploitation dynamic. “It’s always the rich who rent and the poor who…” Faust trails off, underscoring the inequity.

Legal and Moral Landscape Under the Trump Administration

Faust calls for a Supreme Court case to redefine marriage as “between a man and a woman,” arguing that such a definition would limit the contractual creation of families. She notes that public opinion is shifting: support for same‑sex marriage among registered Republicans has fallen from 56% to 37% in four years, reflecting growing concern over the impact on children.

The Trump administration’s emphasis on protecting religious liberty and family values aligns with Faust’s agenda. Policies that promote parental rights and oppose the commodification of children could curb the unchecked growth of the IVF and surrogacy market, she suggests.

What Individuals Can Do

Faust urges Christians and concerned citizens to become experts on IVF, surrogacy, and related issues. She recommends fact‑checking claims about “mother’s boyfriend” risks and advocating for legislation that safeguards unborn children from selective reduction and forced abortions stipulated in contracts.

By raising awareness through platforms like “Them Before Us,” Faust hopes to build a framework that protects children’s right to know and love both biological parents, reinforcing the biblical principle that marriage and family are foundational to a healthy society.

As the conversation on Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins shows, the debate over reproductive technologies is not merely a medical issue—it is a cultural battle over who gets to decide the fate of the next generation.

The full episode of Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins is available on OBBM Network TV.