Sir, - RTE's Prime Time Programme of October 24th highlighted some disturbing facts about the absence of proper regulations to govern in vitro fertilisation in this country. The programme pointed out the need for informed public debate, followed by appropriate legislation, to deal with these medical applications of new advances in biomedical technology.
It should be a cause of concern, for example, that freezing of embryos is not practised in Ireland, under current informal guidelines. Instead, apparently, any embryos in excess of the three being implanted with a view to survival are placed in a location where survival is virtually impossible. If these embryos are human beings as defined in the Constitution, this procedure cannot be defended if it is proposed that they are not human beings with constitutional rights, someone should argue this case. It should be decided, in so far as possible, by objective criteria, and not allowed to happen because we are, as a nation, too lazy intellectually to discuss and decide on the implications of new technology. The absence of a facility to freeze extra embryos also deprives the parents of a subsequent attempt if the first implantation fails, or if they decide to have additional children.
If freezing of embryos is permitted, the question will arise as to the fate of embryos not required by the parents, after some defined storage period. If Ireland as a nation actually believes what's in, its constitution in relation to the right to life of embryos before birth, it could, for once, be creative and original internationally by allowing adoption in these cases. Again, whatever the decision, the issue should be debated and a choice made. We cannot run away from the consequences of new scientific advances, and as a nation we have to decide in what way these advances are applied. In the absence of reasonable regulation, abuses will result from these powerful new technologies.
Your newspaper might consider initiating a debate on the issues raised in the RTE programme. - Yours, etc.,
Director, National Cell &
Tissue Culture Centre,
Dublin City University,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.