A new poll in the United States suggests a lack of public knowledge about the process of IVF that destroys thousands of embryos every year.
When the American public was asked if it believed that in-vitro fertilization (IVF) was “morally acceptable”, 82% of respondents said yes. However, the same poll found that 43% believed it was “morally wrong” to destroy IVF embryos.
By comparison, 37% said abortion was morally wrong, while only 10% believed IVF in principle is wrong.
The findings were part of Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll. This year’s survey sampled opinions on IVF for the first time.
It’s estimated that more human embryos are destroyed through IVF than through abortion in the US every year.
1.7 million IVF embryos in the UK were thrown away and destroyed between 1991 and 2012. The numbers since then have only increased, with 174,622 embryos being “discarded” in 2017 alone.
A 2022 review of IVF in the UK concluded that the industry exaggerated the success rate of IVF, sometimes guaranteeing women a baby when only 20% of IVF cycles in Britain lead to a live birth.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “This poll reveals a lack of clarity about the process of IVF, which destroys many thousands of embryos every year on both sides of the Atlantic. The survey suggests that if the public was informed about the true fate of most embryos, IVF would no longer seem so ‘morally acceptable’.
“The cavalier and even callous treatment of embryos is dehumanising, and it’s not a surprise that this has led to embryos being viewed as expendable and not worthy of protection – and the question of eugenic practices selecting ‘worthy’ embryos is never far away either.
“The IVF industry has already faced criticism for misleading people, especially women, about the true success rate, which destroys far more than it creates. The public deserves to be informed about the human price tag of IVF, both in terms of the embryos involved, as well as the psychological toll of failure.”
Similar stories
The Expendables: Robert Winston and eugenics – but the embryo?
IVF embryos almost used in “nightmarish” medical experiments are granted reprieve
SPUC warns of the “human price tag” of IVF