October 4, 2010   Press release

NOBEL PRIZE FOR MEDICINE

The International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) is dismayed by the announcement that the Cambridge reproductive biologist, Robert Edwards, has been awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for his work in developing human in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

As Catholics we believe in the absolute dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God. That dignity exists from the earliest moment of the conception of the new human being, and remains with them to their natural death. Although IVF has brought happiness to the many couples who have conceived through this process, it has done so at an enormous cost. That cost is the undermining of the dignity of the human person. Many millions of embryos have been created and discarded during the IVF process. Not only were these human beings being used as experimental animals destined for destruction, especially in the early stages, but this use has led to a culture where they are regarded as commodities, rather than the precious human individuals which they are.

As Catholic doctors we recognise the pain that infertility brings to a couple, but equally we believe that the research and treatment methods needed to solve the problems of infertility have to be conducted within an ethical framework which respects the special dignity of the human embryo, which is no different from that of a mature adult with a brilliant mind.

The history of our salvation by Jesus Christ shows us that mankind suffers when it forgets or ignores the fact that God is our creator and we are his creatures. We can only be fully human when we live in accordance with the will of God respecting the special dignity which is accorded to all human beings.