SPUC has welcomed the suspension of IVF procedures in the United Kingdom, as the country battles against the Coronavirus Pandemic. Michael Robinson, SPUC Director of Communications said: “SPUC welcomes the decision to suspend IVF procedures during the COVID 19 pandemic; however, we call on the government to outlaw IVF on a permanent basis.”
An announcement earlier this week confirmed that all new IVF procedures have been banned during the Coronavirus outbreak. Both the NHS and private clinics have been instructed by the governing body, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), to halt all procedures.
What is IVF?
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is used to achieve conception for couples who have difficulty conceiving naturally. A number of eggs are fertilised by sperm in a petri-dish and usually one or two of the newly created embryos are then transferred to the womb in the hope that they will implant.
IVF is a multi-million pound industry which has led to children being treated as commodities or property with some couples going to court in legal battles over frozen embryos.
The 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act legalised experimentation on ‘spare’ human embryos created through IVF, as well as embryos created expressly for research. In 2001, new regulations were introduced to permit therapeutic cloning. Scientists in Newcastle upon Tyne were among the first in the world to successfully clone a human embryo in 2005.
Mr Robinson said: “We have great sympathy for couples who suffer from infertility; however, IVF involves discarding and demeaning vast numbers of newly-conceived embryonic children.
IVF only makes sense because of one simple fact: human life begins at conception. However, IVF is an abuse of this knowledge. The procedure puts human embryos at a vast disadvantage – as they are subject to testing and discrimination, freezing, disability and death. Countless human embryos have perished in the development and practice of IVF.”
Selling a costly dream to desperate couples
According to the most recent reports from the HFEA, IVF procedures carry only a 30% success rate for under-35-year-olds using their own eggs and not using frozen embryos. One cycle of IVF treatment, in the private sector, is likely to cost a couple up to £8000.
Private clinics offering IVF procedures have recently come under scrutiny, and stand accused of exaggerating the chances of patients achieving a successful pregnancy. Professor Robert Winston has recently stated that the HFEA has potentially “sucked” vulnerable couples into costly IVF procedures. He describes a “major problem” with private clinics “selling the dream” to desperate couples, leading people to believe they are much more likely to get pregnant than they really are.
Mr Robinson added: “It is important to remember that IVF doesn't actually treat infertility problems, it merely bypasses them. The Billings Ovulation Method and NaProTech are ethical, healthy and more successful alternatives to IVF. In particular, the work of Fertility Care Scotland must be commended. Unlike in IVF, in Billings and NaProTech no embryonic children are killed or exposed to harm in the laboratory. Health care resources should prioritise ethical and successful ways of helping childless couples - ways which don't involve wasting and degrading human life".
If you would like free, confidential advice on fertility problems or safe family planning, you can contact Fertility Care Scotland: info@fertilitycare.org.uk