{"id":4707,"date":"2026-05-11T16:32:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=4707"},"modified":"2026-05-11T16:32:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:32:55","slug":"a-crisis-of-conscience-spurred-this-christian-ivf-doctors-career-pivot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=4707","title":{"rendered":"A crisis of conscience spurred this Christian IVF doctor\u2019s career pivot"},"content":{"rendered":"

By TIFFANY STANLEY<\/strong><\/p>\n

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) \u2014 Dr. John Gordon, a reproductive endocrinologist, has been a man of faith for years. When he began to have doubts, they were not about his God, but his life\u2019s work.<\/p>

Read more 2026 Grand Prix of Long Beach: Felix Rosenqvist leads qualifying<\/a><\/p>\n

He chose to be an infertility specialist to help people. Thirty years later, scientific advancements made that easier than ever but created more ethical dilemmas.<\/p>\n

As co-director of a fertility clinic in suburban Washington, D.C., Gordon grew troubled over helping create surplus embryos, which would often languish in storage or be discarded. With the expansion of genetic testing, couples could choose the sex of their baby. They could screen out painful or fatal diseases, but also milder impairments like hearing loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too morally problematic,\u201d Gordon thought. \u201cI don\u2019t know where you draw the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2018, his wife pushed him to change how he practiced. They both believed in the sanctity of embryos as part of their Christian faith. But as Allison Gordon looked around the home where they had raised four children, their comfortable life now seemed bought by \u201cill-gotten gains.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Gordon soon bought a practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, and aligned it with his evolving faith-based views. His Rejoice Fertility clinic does not discard viable embryos, genetically test them or donate them to science. It also limits how many embryos it creates.<\/p>\n

His career pivoted alongside a growing debate over in vitro fertilization. Recent legal decisions have prompted questions about IVF, from the U.S. Supreme Court ending federal abortion rights to the Alabama Supreme Court designating embryos as children. IVF remains popular in polling though, and President Donald Trump has taken steps to expand access.<\/p>

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Trump\u2019s conservative Christian base is less supportive of IVF. The Catholic Church has long opposed IVF, and evangelicals are increasingly grappling with it. In 2024, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, called for IVF restrictions when it destroys \u201cembryonic human life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon believes his practice addresses many moral concerns. He was 55 when he made this intimidating shift: \u201cI don\u2019t like changing toothpaste brands.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, he said, \u201cI need to practice in a way that I can live with the decisions I\u2019m making.\u201d<\/p>\n