Ever since the first IVF baby was born on July 25, 1978, in vitro fertilization has helped millions attain their most treasured dream: parenthood. Yet new research is beginning to show that there may be serious problems with the technique. IVF may lead to abnormal patterns of gene expression, which in turn appear to be linked to an increase in the incidence of rare genetic disorders among IVF babies. Additionally, the risk of premature birth and low birth weight for gestational age appears to be higher among babies born with the aid of IVF.
Although this discovery in itself is disturbing enough, the ethical implications are even more problematic. This is the worst type of research: the type that is done too late, and as a result uses human subjects who thought that they were getting a safe treatment. There was no informed consent here, no approval by bioethics boards to run a study using human subjects. Instead, a medical product was released into the real world and the clinical trial was conducted there.
This case illustrates the need for proper, regulated human experimentation. Without it, research on the effects of medicine is conducted only when many people have already been hurt, and the result is a form of research more harmful than even the worst-designed clinical trial.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/health/17ivf.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science
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