In 1990 we became aware of an alleged prophecy that said in part:

“My greatest nemesis is science, even more so than the media. The science that alters life, the science which creates a counterfeit heaven, the science that toils with the womb and genes…”

It was fourteen years before this same anonymous source received a second one, this time on December 22, 2004, that included two lines that said:

“The smallest of what lives is precious in My sight.

“Heed this too: the politics of denial will be struck as with a plague.”

After that second prophecy, Spirit Daily ran a commentary saying that “the meddling with DNA, the distortion of genes, and the reformation of the stuff of life, was also addressed in that 1990 one, which warned that there would be a ‘great new evil that would be similar to abortion but not related to it’—one that seemed to have beneficial effects but would be a deception.”

This was predicted to occur by 1994, which indeed turned out to be a watershed year for breakthroughs and funding that led to cloning.

The fact that elements of that prophecy have materialized causes us to revisit it, including its warning that chastisements would come regionally if mankind did not reform, then on a larger scale. It was referring to disturbances in nature. And in fact, the one in 2004 came just days before the great Asian tsunami.

Fast forward to the present and how IVF—in vitro fertilization—is all across the news and at center stage in politics, strongly backed now by both U.S. presidential candidates.

The massive problem with it?

Embryos created through in vitro fertilization and implanted in wombs are often damaged and destroyed in the process—discarded, as aborted babies.

That is already occurring in the U.S. to the tune of about a million a year (more than the tally for other kinds of abortion).

And the public seems fine with it.

In May, 82 percent of Americans polled by Gallup said they believed IVF is morally acceptable, far more than believed that back in the 1990s or even a few years ago.

Key question: do they even understand what IVF involves? Does life not start at conception?

Multiple fertilized eggs are transferred to the woman’s uterus in the process because the probability is low that any one of them might implant and succeed. In other words, multiple eggs are used to improve the odds.

And when that happens, a number may begin to develop into full-fledged embryos.

If too many do, “excess” ones are aborted.

Generally, one or two unborn babies are left. This is clinically (and quite coldly) called “fetal reduction.”

What does the Catholic Church teach?

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops answers:

“One reproductive technology which the Church has clearly and unequivocally judged to be immoral is in vitro fertilization or IVF.

“Unfortunately, most Catholics are not aware of the Church’s teaching, do not know that IVF is immoral, and some have used it in attempting to have children. In IVF, children are engendered through a technical process, subjected to ‘quality control,’ and eliminated if found ‘defective.’

“If a couple is unaware that the procedure is immoral, they are not subjectively guilty of sin. Children conceived through this procedure are children of God and are loved by their parents, as they should be. Like all children, regardless of the circumstances of their conception and birth, they should be loved, cherished, and cared for.

“In vitro fertilization brings about new life in a petri dish. Children engendered through IVF are sometimes known as ‘test tube babies.’ Several eggs are aspirated from the woman’s ovary after she has taken a fertility drug, which causes a number of eggs to mature at the same time. Semen is collected from the man, usually through masturbation. The egg and sperm are ultimately joined in a glass dish, where conception takes place and the new life is allowed to develop for several days. In the simplest case, embryos are then transferred to the mother’s womb in the hope that one will survive to term.

“Obviously, IVF eliminates the marriage act as the means of achieving pregnancy, instead of helping it achieve this natural end. The new life is not engendered through an act of love between husband and wife, but by a laboratory procedure performed by doctors or technicians.”

Adds a paper on the Vatican’s stand:

“The Magisterium has pronounced her main teachings on IVF in Donum Vitae (1987), Evangelium Vitae (1995), and Dignitas Personae (2008). The Church says ‘no’ to IVF due to the massive destruction of embryonic life, the assault on the meaning of the conjugal act and the treatment of the child as a product not a gift.”

Consider where this may lead.

There is for example a proposed process called “in vitro gametogenesis,” or I.V.G., which would allow the creation of eggs or sperm from ordinary body tissue, like skin cells.

“Men could become genetic mothers, women could be fathers, and people could be the offspring of one, three, four, or any number of parents,” reported The New York Times. “It could be a portent.”

As a publication called The Information recently related: “Billionaires like Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, and Brian Armstrong are behind a boom in fertility tech start-ups developing sophisticated embryonic testing, sperm freezing—even artificial wombs.”

Add Elon Musk to the mix: He reportedly has served as a prodigious sperm donor (wanting to create a “smarter” population) and has made extensive use of IVF for surrogacy.

“Even amid a discourse overwhelmingly committed to liberalization of reproductive technology, it is striking how willing commentators have been to recognize something here that is just … well, weird,” said The Times.

And so, if we proceed with this, perhaps we indeed can expect alleged prophetic events.

Senate Republicans halted a bill last Tuesday that would have forced insurance companies to cover in IVF and created unrestricted access to the procedure—but many in the party continue to support other efforts to expand IVF.

“Weird,” or something more than that?

Are we on the verge of yet more events in nature—greatly heightened ones?

[resources: buy one, get the second free: Fear of Fire and Tower of Light] and Michael Brown online retreat October 12]