Katy Faust exposes the dark side of the IVF industry at Young Leaders Summit

Speaking to attendees at Live Action's Young Leaders Summit in March, children's rights activist Katy Faust exposed the dark side of the IVF and fertility industry, explaining how it violates basic pro-life principles.

Key Takeaways:

• Katy Faust spoke to attendees at Live Action's Young Leaders Summit about the dark side of IVF and the fertility industry.

• Faust said the industry violates a child's right to life, right to a mother and father, and the right to be born free.

• She said few people realize the scale of embryo destruction, describing it as eugenic.

• At the same time, she emphasized that every person has inherent worth and dignity, regardless of the manner of their conception.

The Details:

The Disturbing Truth About Embryo Selection and IVF | Young Leaders 2026

Faust began by pointing out that the IVF industry violates three principles: that children have a right to life from conception, a right to be known and loved by their mother and father, and a right not to be bought and sold as commodities.

“That is why all of us need to take a very skeptical disposition towards big fertility,” she said. “It violates their right to life. It violates their right to their mother and father. And it violates their right to be born free, not bought and sold.”

She told the audience that few people realize the scale at which IVF takes human lives through embryo destruction, as she explained that many common embryo practices, such as creating multiple embryos, preimplantation genetic screening, embryo grading, and embryo selection, are eugenic in nature. “If you believe that life begins at fertilization, then we have a two-front war on our hands,” she said.

At the same time, Faust emphasized that children conceived through IVF possess equal dignity and worth. “Every single one of them are precious,” she said. “Every one of them, made in the image of God and with human dignity.”

Zoom In:

Faust also focused on the use of sperm and egg donation, arguing that donor conception intentionally separates children from their biological parents. She said many donor-conceived individuals struggle with questions of identity and belonging.

“It’s very hard to answer the question ‘Who am I?’ if they can’t answer the question ‘Whose am I?’” she said.

Additionally, she touched on the commercial aspects of the industry, such as the buying and selling of sperm, eggs, and surrogacy services — all of which can cost an incredible amount of money. She contrasted this with adoption, where laws prohibit direct payments to biological parents in exchange for relinquishing parental rights.

“If that happened, it would no longer be adoption,” she said. “They would call it trafficking. It would be baby buying.

"But paying genetic parents for children is the engine of big fertility."

The Bottom Line:

Faust called on Christians to advocate for vulnerable children. “We as Christians are the people who exist to defend the fatherless and the orphan. We cannot stand by while we manufacture those very orphans in the name of progress."