Scientist Who Made IVF Possible Won a Nobel Prize. Does He Deserve It?
British biologist Robert G. Edwards, who co-developed in vitro fertilization therapy, has just been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine. With his help, the first "test tube baby" was born in 1978, and since then, about four million babies have been conceived using the technique. You'd think everyone would be celebrating the doctor's long-overdue recognition, but it seems there's as much new backlash as there are new babies.
When it was introduced, the procedure was a hot-button issue that raised religious, moral, and scientific concerns. Now that long-term studies have concluded it's safe and that IVF children are as healthy as other kids, it's more scientifically accepted, but the religious and moral issues linger. To wit, some reader comments on the NYT piece about the award raised concerns about global overpopulation ("Like the world is not overpopulated enough") or debated the merits of choosing IVF over adoption ("I don't understand why a couple would choose IVF when there are so many children waiting for adoption; it seems selfish").
RELATED: IVF expert Dr. Geoffrey Sher comments on the award news, and responds to the controversy
REDBOOK itself has featured the journeys of women trying to get pregnant in the face of various reproductive challenges, both on our site, and in the magazine - and IVF was a success in many of those cases.
So, what do you think of the prize-giving committee's decision? Do you think one of the fathers of IVF should be heralded?
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