I blogged recently (18 February 2010) about the possible dangers posed through the use of IVF procedures and, in particular, the procedure known as ‘ICSI’ which scientists believe may cause infertility in boys who are born as a result of that method. The head of the Belgian team that was responsible for the first pregnancies following from the use of ICSI, nearly twenty years ago, when asked about the long-term effects arising from the procedure and whether IVF might be storing up infertility problems for future generations, is reported as having said: ‘Well, yes. The answer to that is maybe yes. There are genetic causes of infertility that you can bypass with assisted reproductive technology [AHR], but that may mean that the next generation may be infertile as well. This is something that all clinics should mention to patients.’
In Ireland, currently, there are calls for legislation to ‘regulate’ AHR and related technologies. Why, oh why, will Health Minister Mary Harney (who is ultimately responsible for the introduction of such legislation) not listen to the facts that – day after day- are emerging, and being acknowledged, by experts in the field throughout the world? Instead, it appears that she will rely on the agenda-driven arguments of those who want to promote and have widespread availability and use of all forms of ART (assisted reproductive technologies) in Ireland.
Once again, I would like to refer to NaPro Technology which, rather than trying to bypass the causes of infertility, aims to identify and treat such causes. NaPro is non-invasive, and it does not impinge on any moral or ethical considerations. Apart from all of this, too, NaPro has been seen to be extraordinarily successful in helping to achieve pregnancy.
