Should Men Be Allowed to Father Children After They’re Dead?

I came across this article today.

Should Men Be Allowed to Father Children After They’re Dead?

My dad’s dead and he never even knew I existed. It’s a pretty sticky ethical and moral dilemma.”

This article presents the scenario of utilizing frozen sperm of dead men to impregnate women with babies. Is this moral? Is this good? Should a man die childless or should a child live fatherless?

The answer to this question lies in the definition of, “Father”. Dictionary.com defines a father as:

–noun

1. a male parent.

2. a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.

3. any male ancestor, especially the founder of a race, family, or line; progenitor.

If the definition of a father is origin of child’s dna, then adoptive fathers don’t exist. If the definition of a father is a male guardian, then any teacher, coach, or babysitter could proudly wear the banner of, “Father”.  However, my definition of Father is found in how God is my Father and calls me to father my children.

Ephesians 5 describes the husband as the head of his household as Christ is Head of the Church. But, as the head, the father must balance three main roles; Prophet, Priest, and King.

Prophet

Jesus is the Prophet. There are many prophets throughout the old testament who proclaim the word of God. Jesus not only proclaimed the word of God, he WAS the Word of God! This means that we as husbands and fathers are called to proclaim the gospel through our words and lives to our families. Joshua 4

Priest

Jesus is our Priest. Jesus has made the sacrifice on our behalf to cover our sins. Jesus Was the sacrifice on our behalf. Jesus is the one person who stands between us and God. At the cross, Jesus brought God to us. At the throne, Jesus brings us to God. We are priestly fathers when we sacrificially love our wife and kids. We reflect Jesus when we bring our family to God in prayer and we bring God to our family by displaying to them the gospel in everything we do. Job 1

King

Jesus is King. Jesus rules over all. Jesus holds all things together. Jesus presides over His Kingdom in our hearts and, at the end of times, over everything we see. Jesus keeps the world spinning and, by Grace, keeps us breathing. As fathers, we reflect Kingly Jesus by the authority we carry in our household. But this authority doesn’t come from a hard fist or abusive words. This authority is compelled by the sacrificial love the father displays to mom and kids. Revelation 21

With these three qualities, I argue that it would be extremely difficult to be prophet, priest, and king while dead. It is one thing when horrendous tragedy occurs and a father of infants and toddlers is killed. However, is it wise to knowingly conceive a child with an absent father?

No.