In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

Subject(s): Science | Biology | Age: Post 16 | Type: Article | Publication Year: 2010 to date

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Produced by Debating Matters, these materials help students to debate, analyse and understand issues in contemporary science. These materials look at the topic of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Figures from the UK Office for National Statistics show that 107 women over 50 had babies by IVF in 2009. Advances in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) have helped millions of people. However, controversy has also ensued. Some now see the biggest call on IVF to be age-related fertility problems, caused by women delaying motherhood for too long, leading to concerns that IVF lulls women into a false sense of security.

This has raised questions about whether women determined to have a child late in life are putting their own interests above those of the child and whether IVF clinicians should exercise greater responsibility and restraint with regard to who they agree to treat. At the same time, some fertility clinics have been accused of unscrupulous behaviour and irresponsibly marketing false hopes to people desperate to have children, when the reality is that IVF is unlikely to result in a child for many women over 40.

URL: http://stem.org.uk/rx6c5

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