Posted on 01/02/2008 3:51:06 PM PST by wagglebee
LONDON, January 2, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following a UK Parliamentary question, data from a government organization showed that over one million human embryonic children were killed in the UK in the past 14 years as 'waste' embryos from in vitro fertilization (IVF) processes.
The acquired data showed that 2,137,924 embryonic humans were created using IVF between 1991 and 2005, but about 1.2m were never used. Scientists killed the embryos who were not deemed strong enough for implantation, and froze those not considered 'waste' embryos. Those that survived the freezing process will die in ten years if not implanted.
'Surplus' embryos were created because women responded differently to fertility drugs, doctors told the Times Online. As many as 40 IVF-fertilized eggs can be used in some treatments. The embryos are then assessed for viability, with only about 20% usually considered strong enough to implant successfully in a woman.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, an independent peer noted for his stance against abortion, tabled the question to parliament and obtained the statistics from the Department of Health. He said that embryos were being created and destroyed at "an incredible rate," and advocates embryonic adoption for those embryos that aren't used for implantation in IVF.
"IVF has ensured that a number of people have been given a chance to have children. But it is surprising how many embryos are being destroyed in the process," he said. "This is a rather unexpected aspect of IVF. If you could just create an embryo to implant, that would be fine. I think it would be much better if these embryos that are going to be destroyed were used for infertile couples. At least they would have a chance of life. The number of embryos used is expanding year after year."
Embryo adoption is legally permitted in the UK and United States, but is rare in both countries. Advocates of the process are also calling for the embryonic children to be given up for adoption, where all of them will be frozen and all the survivors used for infertility treatment, provided volunteers with the necessary money can be found within the ten year period.
"Lots of people do have surplus embryos and if people could think about donating embryos it would be wonderful," said a spokesman for Infertility Network UK. "Embryo donation is a much bigger thing in America; it is like adoption. It would be good thing to explore further."
In America, the Snowflakes charity arranges the adoption of embryos by couples who want children. This has, however, led to the birth of only 157 babies in the past 10 years.
The Los Angeles-based Snowflakes charity said it does not "discriminate" between embryos judged to be healthy or unhealthy and added that embryos it has used, which doctors had judged not to be viable, have still produced healthy babies.
The number of pregnancies that have occurred through embryo adoption remains low in the U.S. and the UK due to its high cost and controversial nature. To avoid twin and triplet pregnancies, embryo adoption agencies attempt to implant one and two embryos at a time, an expensive process that usually needs to be done multiple times before a frozen embryo survives in the womb of the adoptive mother.
Last month the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the regulator of IVF practice in the UK, called for a reduction of twin pregnancies in IVF, leading scientists and doctors to look for IVF methods that will use fewer embryos. The authority wants to see many women offered just one fertilised embryo, a step which would minimize the chances of a twin birth and would reduce the number of embryonic children being created and destroyed a few days later.
See LifeSiteNews Special Report on IVF:
http://www.lifesite.net/features/invitro/
See Previous LifeSiteNews Coverage:
Adoptive Parents of Girl Frozen as Embryo Battle Embryonic Stem Cell Research
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07041908.html
Canadian IVF Researchers Admit 80-90% of IVF-Created Human Embryos Doomed to Die
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/nov/03112601.html
VATICAN SOLUTION TO LEFT OVER EMBRYO DILEMMA IS LITTLE KNOWN
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/dec/02120401.html
ABOUT 170,000 IVF EMBRYO DEATHS PER YEAR IN U.S.
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/nov/02112202.html
The ethanol project seems to be a huge mega-wasteful systemic boondoggle. Cui bono? My gut feeling is that it’s meant to benefit huge agribiz entities like Montsanto and Archer Daniels Midland. (Just mentioning the big names I happen to know off the top of my head. I don’t have the evidence at hand.)
There is absolutely no reason to turn food into fuel when fuel supplies are plentiful.
very sad commentary on our societies.
"Jon Phillips and Sarah Berry Starve Child to Death: Seven-Year-Old ..."
So not only do we have another Denver-area child abuse story about someone starving a little kid to death, but this time it’s by people who went through a ...
Quick question. Do know the difference between starvation vs murder? It doesn't appear so.
Do (you)know the difference...
Yes, those were the folks who made Zyclon B, and used it based on superior intellect.
And that was his “proof” that there are starving people in America due to a “shortage” of food.
Sad case indeed.
"We share the planet with 5.7 billion people. If one could stand all the people in the world, men, women and children two feet apart, how much of the world would they take up? All of Africa? All of North America? New York state? If every person alive today stood two feet apart they would fill less than the area of Dallas County! And there would still be room for all the buildings! If the world's people were put together into families of four living on 50' by 100' lots, they could all live in the state of Texas, with more than seven thousand square miles left over"
Marking my place. It’s time for a piece of apple pie.
Now, now, don’t let FACTS start getting in the way of the left’s agenda!
whoa....EXCELLENT response!!!
Yes, but even for me, I was astonished at it.
You’re right, it’s staggering how little of the earth’s resources we actually use.
It appears that the end game is that they worry about whether they will get enough to eat for themselves.
and so it is with the religion of human secularism.
The following demostration illustrates why we don’t need more souls on earth and lays the foundation for population control.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WJeqxuOfQ
IF you don’t understand the gumball logic you are a perfect canidate for this study.
I have always been fascinated with thte study of Stupidity. I have studied stupidity; those who base conclusions and make policy based upon emotion, rather than facts.
Here are the Five Laws of Stupidity according to Carlo Cipolla: Do they fit your proposal?
First Law
We always underestimate the number of stupid people.
Second Law
The probability of a person being stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
Third (and Golden) Law
A stupid person is someone who causes damage to another person, or a group of people, without any advantage accruing to himself (or herself) — or even with some resultant self-damage.
Fourth Law
Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid people.
Fifth Law
A stupid person is the most dangerous person in existence.
This is probably the most widely understood of the Laws, if only because it is common knowledge that intelligent people, hostile as they might be, are predictable, while stupid people are not. Moreover, its basic corollary:
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Anyone in his group who can put forth a logical arguement why more populaaiton growth in USA or world be is desirable come forth. Until then you are out of time. Any why you should never hold any position of leadership.
“The ethanol project seems to be a huge mega-wasteful systemic boondoggle. Cui bono? My gut feeling is that it’s meant to benefit huge agribiz entities like Montsanto and Archer Daniels Midland. (Just mentioning the big names I happen to know off the top of my head. I don’t have the evidence at hand.)”
Somebody is always trying to get rich at our expense. Grrrrrrrrrr
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