The human cost of IVF

The New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury and her husband recently put some of their hard-earned resources into getting a movie based on one of her novels, "Someone Like You," into theaters. It was an act of courage and faith, and it could be a cultural game-changer if people care to notice.

As I’ve discovered her new movie and some of her work, Kingsbury has become something of a hero to me. She and her husband have biological and adoptive children and have a foundation that helps families adopt.

The movie adaption of "Someone Lke You" does not focus on politics or apologetics. It’s about humanity, and that’s why it’s so powerful. A couple, agonizing over the difficulty of having children, resorts to in-vitro fertilization. But there can be a domino effect of confusion and pain for every human life involved. Kingsbury examines these issues without judgment, but with total compassion.

As good artists do, Kingsbury tells a story about humanity without being heavy-handed. She’s a Christian, as are some of her characters, but they wear their religion subtly, with the kind of grace that people of good will might appreciate.

Donald Trump recently spoke about how we must support "the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby." And then he cowardly said that the legality of abortion should be left to the states. For those of us who believe abortion to be the human-rights issue of our lives — for which both God and history will judge us — that’s just wrong.

Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota, and talked about about how "extremists" are denying "women access to reproductive health care." The extremism from the left and in the media (sometimes the same thing), meanwhile, makes the situation worse. People are confused about what’s true, and even doctors and lawyers are on edge, worried about lawsuits and bad publicity.

Harris said: "I’m here at this health care clinic to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like, which is to understand it is only right and fair that people have access to the health care they need and that they have access to health care in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect."

No offense to politics — which I have valued for most of my life as a noble and critical vocation, though increasingly less so as we watch the current scene — but what Kingsbury is doing could be much more important. People living their lives, watching what is essentially a love story, will see all the complications and pain that come not just with infertility, but also with IVF. Don’t let politicians get away with cheap lip service to human misery. Without being preachy or overhanded, Kingsbury’s "Someone Like You" opens a potential overdue discussion about the nuances of a sensitive issue.

There are children alive in the United States today who need families. Meanwhile, surrogacy and IVF dominate the news cycle. Politicians probably won’t lead the way in changing the trajectory we’re on. But artists like Kingsbury just might.