IVF is understood as in vitro fertilisation this is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm outside the body, in vitro. This process has been largely controversial from its beginning due to the morality of it and nowadays the somewhat of the commercialism of IVF. In today’s day and age we believe that life begins at conception, that being when an egg is fertilised by the sperm to create new life. This belief isn’t a religious one as some tend to believe but it is a scientifically proven one.
IVF has taken an unnecessary route to commercialisation this is because the mother needs to take an abundance of hormones as to make her eggs fertile and to produce more eggs which can be fertilised at once. Due to this increase new life is being formed at a higher rate, which is not in itself bad. However, with this comes an immoral part as instead of implanting all the embryos conceived we as humans are playing god by choosing the best of the bunch and freezing the others to use at a later date. This in my opinion is both immoral and unethical as we are choosing what we perceive to be the best embryos to bring into the world and leaving the others frozen until someone would want them.
A lot of people think that by producing more embryos they have large chance of giving birth to their children which is obviously true. However, to give birth there is no need to produce extra to then leave your own children metaphorically on the shelf as you don’t need them anymore. As Dr. Jeffrey A. Keenan an American doctor from the National Embryo Donation Centre said “27 years ago the success rates where about half what they are now and we really do not need to creating as many embryos and then freezing a lot of extra embryos.”
One cannot fault the mother who wants to conceive her own children but the process needs not only to favour her but also her own children (embryos) she is creating. The most important of all human rights, the right of life cannot be overlooked in embryos as they have a life to live to.
IVF is a beautiful process as it brings happiness to couples who couldn’t conceive in any other way but we need to think about the life we are creating. And if in essence is it beneficial or are we just tempering with life and trying to put some more money in our pockets while we are at it.
The final point I would like to make is a story that happened not so long ago in America where a couple altruistically adopted an embryo from anonymous parents. However, rather remarkably after being implanted in the wanting to become mother, the doctor’s told her that the embryo had been frozen for 24 and a half years, half a year younger than the woman who is now going to give birth to.
Written by: Matthias Parnis
A Bird's Eye View 