Nobel Prize in medicine awarded for development of IVF

British Professor Robert Edwards has been awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work in developing the techniques used in in vitro fertiliziation. His partner in the venture, gynecological surgeon Patrick Steptoe, died in 1988, and was not eligible receive this honor since the Nobel Prize rules were modified to prohibit posthumous prizes.

The amount of controversy surrounding IVF is fairly well documented. The Vatican, in particular, has maintained a steadfast position that it is, basically, unnatural, and therefore wrong. Edwards fought against this viewpoint, and still does, stating that the Vatican's views on IVF are "totally mistaken." Not only has his and Steptoe's work brought joy to millions of people who struggled with infertility, but it has also laid the groundwork for breakthroughs in cancer and stem cell research. Here's a link to an article that is very informative on Edwards and his work:

http://www.physorg.com/news205389958.html

 

My parents are Catholic. They always have been, but hadn't practiced their religion in the strictest sense for a while. They returned to the church and developed a new found respect and love for it and the teachings of it roughly 15 years ago. Their faith has made them stronger, their marriage stronger, and has made them happier. I think this is a wonderful thing, and obviously the best thing for them.

I, however, do not consider myself a Catholic. I was baptized, yes, and also received my First Communion, but as an adult I've developed my own set of beliefs that are more Agnostic than anything. It's a personal thing, your own beliefs. No one can force a person to believe what they do just by explaining it to them. This used to cause a fair amount of stress between my parents and Brian and me, until I finally put my foot down and explained that the more they pushed, the more it damaged my relationship with them. They stopped, which I appreciate. Now I just try to avoid the subject, because it just gets me all riled up and pissed off most of the time.

 

The reason I bring all that up is when we started the IVF process, I knew, when explaining it all to my dad, that he had a problem with it. I was explaining the process, how eggs are retrieved, fertilized, embryos transferred back in, and any embryos that weren't transferred were cultivated for several more days to see if they developed properly, and then could either be frozen or destroyed. I saw the look on his face. He tried to hide it, but I could tell he had a real problem with this entire thing. And, honestly, so did I. I didn't like the idea of embryos being destroyed. In fact, I didn't like anything about this process. Not necessarily from a moral standpoint, but just because I didn't want to do it this way. I wanted it to be easy, like it was for "everyone else." Recognizing that it's not easy for "everyone else," and 1 out of 5 couples experience infertility.

 

My dad never voiced his opinion on the IVF, beyond joking after I became pregnant that Ellie was his "handmade grandchild," which was pretty funny. I often wonder what he thinks now, though, when he

looks at Ellie. I wonder if it's changed what he thinks about the process, knowing that we had no other choice for a biological child, knowing that if we hadn't done it, this little red-headed, blue-eyed beauty, a source of endless joy for all of us, wouldn't be here today.

Because, no matter your belief system, I think we can all agree that the world would be a much darker place without her in it. She has a purpose. She was meant to be here. You can't look at this face and disagree with any of that:

I wish I could thank Professor Robert Edwards and Dr. Steptoe personally.  I wish I could send an e-mail to Edwards and tell him how much his work has changed my life.  How much I appreciate his compassion for those of us who want nothing more from this life than to be parents, and for making that possible.  He literally changed our lives by pushing forward, defending his work when very powerful people condemned it, and making it possible for those of us who have lost hope to regain it.  An estimated 4 million babies have been born utilizing IVF since the first, Louise Brown, in 1978.  Personally, I think he deserves the Nobel Prize just for my Eliza.  I'm sure other parents of so-called "test tube babies" would say the same of their children.   So, while I can't encourage the Nobel Prize committee to award him 4 million awards, I can offer a simple thank you.  It's not enough, but it'll have to do. 

 

Thank you.