Politics
Wednesday November 26, 2003
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
Canadian IVF Researchers Admit 80-90% of IVF-Created Human Embryos Doomed to Die
OTTAWA, November 26, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In announcing an In Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) breakthrough, researchers at the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI) have admitted publicly that only 10-20% of human embryos created by the process survive to pregnancy. The percentage of embryos that actually make it to birth is significantly lower.
"When treating infertility, eggs are very often fertilized in a clinic in the process known as IVF," explained Dr. Jay Baltz, a Senior Scientist at OHRI, an institute of The Ottawa Hospital and University of Ottawa. CBC News reports that the new discovery of a chemical which maintains the size of the ova seeks to overcome the artificially created embryos' proneness to death. The instability pressures IVF practitioners to implant multiple embryos into women in the hopes that one will survive the implantation and eventually be born alive.
Of note, IVF scientists find IVF ethically problematic, not so much because so many live human embryos are destroyed in the process but, because multiple embryo transfer has resulted in a greater frequency of twins, triplets and greater multiples. Women with multiples are usually asked to undergo "reduction" which refers to the killing of one or more of the twin siblings of the child chosen to be allowed to be born. "The ultimate goal is to be able to put a single egg and get a single baby," Baltz said.
The findings were released in this month's publication of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). The group's work was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
See the CBC News coverage:
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/11/26/fertility031126
See the journal abstract online:
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/100/24/13982
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- Firefighters' Lawsuit against City Over Forced Participation in Gay Pride Parade Ends in Mistrial
- Victory: Supreme Court Allows "Choose Life" License Plates in AZ
- Update: Obama Supporter Dr. Cafardi Resigns from Franciscan University Board
- Legislators Seek Abortion-on-Demand for Every State in Mexico
- Video Catches Planned Parenthood Covering Up Statutory Rape
- Kenyan Cardinal Blasts Attempt to Legalise Abortion
- Franciscan University Board Member Backs Obama, School Distances Itself
- Democratic Platform Promises, Republican Platform Rejects More Abortion Overseas
- San Francisco Catholic Charities Ends Relationship with the US' "Gayest Adoption Agency"
- US Government Cuts Off Supplies to Marie Stopes International
- Pope Commends Knights of Columbus for their Pro-Life Work
- The 16th International Week of Prayer and Fasting
- Billy Graham to Turn 90: Public Invited to Send Personal Stories, Birthday Wishes
- Catholic Magazine Calls For Defeat And Removal Of Prime Minister Harper
Most Read this Week
- Extreme Pro-Abortion Feminist Heather Mallick Scheduled to Speak at Catholic St. Mary's University
- Sarah Palin Speaks on Abortion, Contraception, Homosexuality
- Martin Sheen Stars in Ad Opposing Assisted Suicide in Washington State
- Abortion Patient of George Tiller Feared for Life: 'They're Liable to Kill Me'
- Bella Star Eduardo Saves Five Unborn Babies' Lives
- CBC Apologises for "Porn Star" Attack on Palin
- Russia: 64% of Pregnancies End in Abortion
- Catholic Magazine Calls For Defeat And Removal Of Prime Minister Harper
- Eduardo Verastegui Talks about Obama, Saving Babies Outside L.A. Abortion Clinic
- Swedish Man Awarded $24,170 Compensation after Filming Himself Having Sex with 14 Year-Old
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.