Letters to the Clergy

The following are sample letters that can be personalized and used to send to your clergy in an effort to educate them about the challenges and experiences of infertility. 

Dear Member of the Clergy,

As you prepare your Mother's Day and Father's Day religious messages this year, please consider that 1 in 8 couples of childbearing age are struggling with infertility. These particular holidays are two of the most painful days for those struggling to have children.

Although this condition is rarely physically life threatening, it can be devastating to a person's sense of hope. Couples often endure monthly cycles of emotional roller coaster rides, ranging from optimism to despair and depression. Infertility sometimes lasts for years and people often go through this experience in isolation, as their desire for a larger family remains unfulfilled.

Many religious and social events revolve around children, and couples without them may feel uncomfortable or left out of activities altogether. Because the topic of infertility involves reproduction, it is an extremely personal problem that couples face. For this reason, it is often a very difficult topic to discuss, even with a trusted rabbi, priest or pastor.

As you prepare for the upcoming holidays, please remember the couples in your congregation that have infertility. Infertility is the inability to conceive a child after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility is also the inability to carry a pregnancy to term, so persons who have had a miscarriage or who have lost a child by stillbirth struggle with this condition too.

We ask that you keep these points in mind, particularly during worship services, and that you remember couples with infertility in your prayers as you honor all the mothers and fathers in your congregation.

If you would like more information about infertility, please visit the RESOLVE website at www.resolve.org.  

Thank you, in advance for your consideration in this matter,
 

Sincerely,
Your name.

Dear Member of the Clergy,

One out of every eight couples of reproductive age in the United States, or 7.3 million people, will experience infertility. The desire to parent is fundamental to the human race, and the inability to do so can be devastating. Being denied the blessings of parenthood can also bring on a crisis of faith. People experiencing infertility often become isolated, and avoid family, friends and social situations involving children and pregnant women. Houses of worship may be a natural source of solace, yet attending services in the midst of laughing children and adoring parents can increase the infertile couple's feelings of sadness and isolation.

This letter is sent to you as a reminder that the upcoming Mother's Day and Father's Day, special days that celebrate family, are very painful reminders of an infertile couple's childlessness and loss. Please acknowledge the feelings of those in your congregation who want desperately to be mothers and fathers. Perhaps mentioning the disease of infertility in a prayer or as part of your sermon will allow these couples to receive the validation they need.

If you would like more information about infertility, please visit the RESOLVE website at www.resolve.org.  

Thank you, in advance for your consideration in this matter,

Sincerely,
Your name.