ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to describe the origins of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other forms of assisted human conception and the reasons why the early pioneers began the studies. It discusses the ethical role of doctors and scientists in the IVF clinic, and considers some modern aspects of the current methods of regulation of assisted human conception, especially the problems of legislation. By 1955, the necessary techniques to introduce human IVF had been clarified, and new research programmes were essential to bring the method into clinical practice. Modern IVF actually began when detailed analyses on the maturation of human oocytes in vitro revealed that 37 hours were needed for oocyte ripening to metaphase-2. IVF raised many new ethical issues such as the status of the embryo in vitro, typing embryos and the possibilities of interference with gametes or embryos. The development of intracytoplasmic sperm injection has raised quite different ethical issues, mostly genetic.
