A typical cycle of IVF might collect 10 or more eggs, which are then fertilized outside of the body to create viable embryos. Since only one or two are usually implanted into the uterus at a time, IVF often results in leftover embryos that people can choose to freeze, discard, donate to another person or couple, or donate to research. In at least one state—Utah—it is not clear whether the trigger law distinguishes between abortion and the discarding of embryos through IVF.
Yuan at CCRM says that donated embryos are extremely important for improving knowledge of IVF. They are used to train junior embryologists in taking small genetic samples from embryos so they can be tested for certain diseases. Yuan is also using donated embryos to find ways to improve the culture medium that embryos are grown in outside of the body, the aim of this research being to raise the chances of embryos implanting within the uterus.
With no federal laws protecting this kind of research, it might become the next target of antiabortion campaigners. “Once all of the upset and celebration overdoes settle in, there’s no reason why the advocacy groups who worked so diligently for 50 years to bring about the case wouldn’t set their sights on the embryo discard issue,” says Judith Daar, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University.
And any movement against human embryonic research may end up also targeting IVF, as it also involves discarding excess healthy embryos. Louisiana shows how this might play out. There the destruction of viable embryos is prohibited, meaning that unused frozen embryos must be stored indefinitely. When Hurricane Katrina struck the state in 2005, about 1,200 frozen embryos were rescued from a flooded hospital in eastern New Orleans.
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Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »