Inventor of In-Vitro Fertilization Wins Nobel Prize in Medicine, Pro-Life Group Upset

Bioethics   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 4, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Inventor of In-Vitro Fertilization Wins Nobel Prize in Medicine, Pro-Life Group Upset

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 4
, 2010

London, England (LifeNews.com) — Robert Edwards, known as the father of the test tube baby and the inventor of in-vitro fertilization, has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his IVF work. However, the award is coming under fire from a British pro-life group upset because IVF has resulted in the deaths of unborn children.

The web site for the Nobel Prize says over 10% of couples experience infertility and credits Edwards with helping them be able to have a baby.

The foundation for the Nobel Prize says Edwards’ contributions to fertility "represent a milestone in the development of modern medicine."

In the 1950s, Edwards believed IVF could eventually help treat infertility and, after decades of work, in fertilizing human egg cells in cell culture dishes, the first test tube baby was born in 1978.

Since 1978, about four million babies have been born via IVF, some of whom are now parents themselves as second and third generations spring from them.

However, in-vitro fertilization has come at a price, the England-based Society for the Protection of Unborn Children says, because multiple embryos are frequently implanted during fertility treatments and unborn children are subsequently killed when more than one baby’s life becomes viable.

"IVF is possible because of one simple fact: human life begins at fertilization [or] conception. But IVF is an abuse of this knowledge," says Anthony Ozimic, SPUC’s communications manager. "IVF puts human embryos at a vast disadvantage – they are subject to testing and discrimination, freezing and storage, disability and death."

"Countless human embryos have perished in the development and practice of IVF. Since the birth of the first IVF child over thirty years ago, well over two million embryos have been discarded, or frozen, or selectively aborted, or miscarried or used in destructive experiments," he says.

The SPUC representatives says figures in Britain alone show 2,137,924 human embryos were created by specialists while assisting couples in the UK to have babies between 1991 and 2005, according to government figures. During this period, the HFEA indicates 109,469 were born — meaning more than two million unborn children died after creation via IVF.

He says SPUC opposes IVF because unborn children don’t receive full protection under law.

"While opposing the IVF process, we insist that IVF embryos and babies must be accorded all the rights and dignity that any human person deserves," he said. “IVF has made it possible to search out and destroy disabled embryonic children. Our society should not be applauding legal and scientific advancements in the targeting and killing of disabled human beings."

Ozimic also says more focus needs to be placed on the problems children born from in-vitro fertilization face later in their lives.

“IVF doesn’t actually treat infertility problems, it merely bypasses them. IVF is in reality a large-scale experiment abusing and destroying early human life. Recent studies suggests that babies born through IVF are more likely to have genetic defects and congenital disabilities," he said.

"Giving Professor Edwards a prize for promoting the abuse of human embryos by IVF is an affront to mankind, and especially to disabled people," he concluded.

Meanwhile, UK states show, annually, dozens of unborn children die from abortions after creation via IVF.

Related web sites:
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children – https://www.spuc.org.uk

 

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