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During the annual Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion (OCAMPR) Annual Conference, held in Chicago at The Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, His Grace Bishop Demetrios will delivered a paper entitled, Conceived in the Womb; How Orthodox Faith Understands the Unborn Child.

In his paper, His Grace began by emphasizing the mystery of human conception,

First, we cannot presume to have a true conception of the mystery of conception. We cannot conceive the majesty of the creation of human life that begins at conception and we must first surrender any notion that we can master the mystery of life.

His Grace also insisted that reverence for the mystery of the creation of human life must never be replaced by a merely analytical / mechanized view of this great wonder, which is divinely wrought:

…the beginning of every human life determined in the will of God, is an act of God, for we are ‘the work of His hands.’ We may prefer to speak about human reproduction, but this is truly a misconception, for the uniqueness of each human being from the moment of fertilization is not a reproduction of anyone. Indeed, the very use of a form of the word “production” makes it sound like an impersonal mechanistic process, a characterization that I and the ancient Christian tradition rejects.

His Grace also spoke at length about the issue of fertilization, cognition, and other important aspects of the socio-cultural debate about the preborn from an Orthodox viewpoint.

The entire paper can be read by following this link.