In vitro is an extracorporeal assisted development technique and a symptomatic treatment for infertility.
We can distinguish between 4 main stages of in-vitro fertilisation:
- Hormonal stimulation of the ovaries- to produce more cells.
- Collection of male and female gametes from the partners.
- Fertilisation under laboratory conditions.
- Implantation- transfer of the embryo into the mother's body.
According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 60-80 million couples in the world are permanently or periodically affected by childlessness. In Poland, it is estimated that 1.2-1.3 million couples may be affected, of which experts estimate that 15 000 require IVF treatment.
A programme was launched in Poland on 1 July 2013, where IVF treatments will be financed from public funds. This programme will run until 30 June 2016. This method is to be used for couples where all other methods have failed and a minimum of one year of infertility treatment will be documented.
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Unmarried couples will also be able to take advantage of this opportunity. Quoting the words of the Minister of Health Bartosz Arłukowicz, the aim of this project is to guarantee equal access to in-vitro fertilisation. The programme will make it possible to monitor the quality of the performance of this fertilisation method, and only those clinics that guarantee the safety of the embryos will be able to proceed.
All information and details of the programme can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health. It is also worth pointing out that according to a survey carried out in September 2012, 80% of those surveyed accept in vitro fertilisation, while the rest are against it.
In vitro is a subject which is still controversial. On the one hand, this method gives people who cannot have offspring naturally a chance to have them, on the other hand, it is an interference in human nature. In the light of Catholic teaching, an embryo is a human person and disposing of unused embryos is a morally wrong act. The conception of a child should take place through the natural sexual act of the spouses.
The question of whether the method described above is a social problem or a solution is one we must answer ourselves...
