Politics
Monday January 31, 2005
IVF Babies up to 40% More Likely to Suffer Severe Birth Defects
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PERTH, January 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Reports are growing that in vitro fertilization, in which a human being is made in a laboratory by mixing ova and sperm in a petri dish, is resulting in a high rate of severe birth defects. In September 2003, LifeSiteNews.com reported that IVF was coming under scrutiny because of the risks involved to the child. A dozen scientific papers published in 2003 suggested health risks associated with IVF.
Now a new study can be added to the stack. Researchers at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, Australia, have found that babies born through IVF are up to 40% more likely to suffer from birth defects. From relatively minor problems like cleft palate to severe ones such as spina bifida, more IVF children are showing that IVF is a solution that often creates more trouble than it solves.
In many cases, the solution to such birth defects is abortion following prenatal diagnosis.
Researcher Michelle Hansen said that it is not certain what causes the defects but that they could be caused by the procedure itself. “We don't know why yet, because it's very difficult to tease out the fact they come in with an underlying cause of infertility anyway,” Hansen told The Australian.
“Other causes could be something to do with the treatment itself, the way the egg, sperm or embryo are manipulated, or the medications that are given to induce ovulation or to sustain pregnancy.”
One procedure, which is legal in Canada, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which a sperm is selected and forced into the ovum with a needle, has come under particular criticism.
Dr. Hansen said, “This paper will make it even more accepted that (IVF clinic staff) really need to provide this information so patients are giving informed consent when they undertake such treatment.”
The study will be published in the journal Human Reproduction next month.
Related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/nov/02111803.html
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/sep/03092206.html
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