Several bioethics experts and economists designed the survey to explore public opinion about in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and the hypothetical genetic testing of embryos before they are implanted in the womb.

The survey asked respondents whether they would test and edit an embryo's genes to increase the chances the conceived child would grow up to attend an extremely competitive college.

The results were published in the Feb 9 issue of Science magazine under the title "Public views on polygenic screening of embryos." Michelle N Meyer, a professor of bioethics with the Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System, was the corresponding author.

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Stuart says the way the news was delivered added to the blow. His doctor walked into the room and bluntly declared: "You've got big troubles. You basically have one good sperm." Stuart says this "made me feel about an inch tall".

Like most illnesses, infertility does not discriminate. But somehow it makes people feel they are part of a brutal natural selection process that prevents the weakest from reproducing their inferior genes. It also has a cruel way of making well-matched couples feel they may not be truly compatible. Says Rachel, "I often think, in a way, that, as hard as it has been, I'm glad it was both of us that had problems because if it was just me, I would have felt as though Stu should go and find someone else."

The Maloneys borrowed most of the $30,000 they have spent on IVF to become pregnant with Nate. While they don't regret a cent of it and believe they have received good care, they still wonder why the often repetitive procedures cost so much. "The thing that always pulls me up is the embryo transfer," Rachel says. "It costs about $3000 and it's a bit like a pap smear. They basically pop a speculum in and use a catheter to squirt the embryo in with some sterile water. It takes about 15 minutes. The doctor is there, so we're obviously paying for his time, but the embryo has already been created and we pay storage fees of about $160 every six months to keep them frozen. A scientist obviously has to prepare the embryos, but $3000 for a 15-minute procedure? That really gets me." Continue reading

Sources

• The Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: The Guardian

The court ruled that Radio Fides had the right to air the fourteen radio spots that are part of a series entitled, "My Life is Non-Negotiable."

Radio Fides director, Jason Granados, called the ruling "a triumph for freedom of expression and freedom of religion."

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Sensational news reports surrounding the $180,000 price tag for Ukrainian black-market babies shocked the determinedly secular segments of society, and few remain unmoved by the story of the FBI's round-up of "baby-brokers." Beyond the initial horror of children clinically conceived and sold as a commodity, investigators discovered that these babies have dozens of full and half siblings that were sold elsewhere. This opens the possibility that, in 25 years, a young man might unknowingly marry his sister.

Added to the fate of the children is the dismal lot of the destitute women (often living in third-world countries) who offer their bodies as surrogate wombs. In India, 500 clinics service the nation's "fertility tourism," estimated to be a $450-million-per-year industry — and growing. Ads for medical tourism in Thailand boast, "We've got the affordable IVF procedures you heard about, great IVF vacations, and low-cost IVF gender selection."

As fertility technologies increase, so do the ethical quandaries. Scanning the comments on these news articles, one is immediately struck by the revulsion many people have to these accounts of black-market infants. On the other hand, the dozens of websites soliciting surrogate mothers indicate that surrogacy is — for many of these same people — just another legitimate business arrangement.

The subject is complicated, even polarizing, because many couples (including Catholics) conceived their own children via IVF. For these parents, IVF is applauded as a means of family-building, not abuse of babies. The temptation of couples who have difficulty conceiving deserves our compassion and prayers. The echo of Hannah is heard down the centuries: "And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish" (1 Sam 1:10-11).

Yet the lurid news accounts of black-market babies provide an opening to share the wisdom of the Church's prohibition against IVF and teaching on the inviolate sacredness of human life. The challenge for Catholics is to effectively engage the secular argument, which is best achieved from the perspective of the common good for all of society without recourse to religious references. Wisdom need not be presented as religious or scriptural teaching, but rather as the practical consequence that proceeds from violating a basic ethic: Humans cannot be owned.

Read More: Crisis Magazine

Image: Crisis Magazine