It involves giving a woman drugs to induce ovulation and then harvesting (collecting) those mature eggs through a laparoscope. The man masturbates to collect the semen. Then, the semen and ova are mixed in a dish, where fertilization may occur. Then the tiny, new embryonic human(s) are put into the cavity of the woman’s uterus with the hope that they will plant and grow.

Many RTL groups, especially church-related ones, oppose this as "unnatural." Other RTL groups limit their official organizational policy to protecting human life already conceived, and thus have no official position on the "preliminaries." All, however, totally object to the destruction of any of these tiny human lives once they exist. All, therefore, condemn the "pick-of-the-litter" practice. This is when certain "concepti" (embryos) are discarded (killed) while others are planted.

In 1993 the American Fertility Society reported on an aggregate of 33,000 attempts of "assisted reproductive technology." Remembering that in each attempt 3 to 5 embryos are planted, the success per attempt (not per embryo) was:

In addition 4,838 frozen embryo procedures were tried with one of the above methods and 11% deliveries.

It is intracytoplasmic sperm injection, a new fertility procedure. In it a single sperm is injected directly into the ovum in the laboratory. Its authors claim a success rate equal to I.V.F.

GIFT is Gamet Intra-Fallopian Transfer. It brings together the egg and the husband’s sperm collected from her vagina after the sex act.

LTOT is Low Tubal Ovum Transport. It enables sperm to bypass a blocked tube.

Amer. Fert. Society, Assisted Reprod. Technology,
data from Registry, Fertility & Sterility, vol. 59, no. 5, May ’93

ZIT is Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer. One study demonstrated only 16% survived transfer.

Of embryos frozen on day 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, the number surviving thawing were 87%, 33%, 43%, 12% and 0 respectively.

"The chances for a surviving frozen-thawed embryo becoming a clinically diagnosed pregnancy was 15%."

The proceedings of the famous frozen embryo case in Marysville, Tennessee and Professor Jerome Lejeune’s testimony should be required reading. Copies are available from Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati, 1802 W. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio 45239.

Perhaps yes. A study in 1993 at Stanford University has suggested that women who take the fertility drugs needed for I.V.F. were three times as likely to develop ovarian cancer.

Australia is one of the world leaders in this field. The reports are disturbing.

Multiple pregnancies occur more than 30 times oftener in I.V.F. than in other pregnancies. These frequently produce low birth weight prematures who have more problems than full term babies.

Major congenital handicaps have been reported in 2.2% of I.V.F. births compared with 1.5% of normal conceptions.

Of 633 embryos conceived invitro by the most successful team, under Dr. Alan Trounson, only 45 or 7% lived to deliver. That is a 93% loss, or 12 out of 13 died.