The ending of state funding for IVF by Poland's new government has been welcomed by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), an internationally-active pro-life organisation based in London.
John Smeaton, SPUC's chief executive, commented: "The number of babies born from IVF is far outstripped by the number of embryonic children killed in the process. It is inherently abusive of embryos and women. We welcome the Polish government's decision because it is likely that the end of state funding will restrict greatly the practice of IVF in Poland and therefore save many embryonic lives.
"We also express our solidarity with those politicians who vote for policies which serve to save the lives of unborn children. As well as being unethical, IVF is significantly less successful than ethical alternatives such as NaProTech."
Notes for Editors:
For more detailed comments or an interview with John Smeaton, please contact Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's media manager, on:
For the total number of IVF treatment cycles carried out in Britain every year only about 20% result in a live birth. However, far fewer than 20% of embryos actually survive because many more are created than will be transferred to the womb and survive to birth.
NaProTech, an ethical alternative to IVF, is far more successful than IVF - see http://www.naprotechnology.com/infertility.htm