Troubling Consequences of Artificial Reproduction
By Father John Flynn, L.C.
As demand for in vitro fertilization continues to rise, so too are concerns over the clinics and consequences for families. A leading British expert recently had harsh words for the industry, whose methods have long been criticized by the Church.
Robert Winston, professor of fertility studies at Imperial College London, said clinics had been corrupted by money and that doctors were exploiting women desperate to get pregnant, reported the Guardian on May 31. “It’s very easy to exploit people by the fact that they’re desperate and you’ve got the technology, which they want, which may not work,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian newspaper the Ottawa Citizen reported April 18 the case of Melanie Boivin, who donated some of her ova to her daughter, Flavie.
The daughter, aged 7, is sterile due to a genetic condition. The article commented that if Flavie eventually decides to use the ova and becomes pregnant, she will be give birth to her genetic sister and Melanie Boivin will simultaneously become mother and grandmother.
The mother’s actions were criticized by ethicist Margaret Somerville, the paper reported. “We have to think about what we are doing when we are running around nature,” she said, noting that such a procedure completely overturns the normal transition of life.
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