ABSTRACT
In principle, the author agrees with the discerning statement made by Elisabeth Hildt in respect of the question as to whether in vitro fertilisation provides us with a greater potential for freedom. In this context, the author would like to be more specific from the point of view of science and the role it plays in our society while identifying a number of issues which reflect the price that has to be paid for such a greater potential for freedom. Within the realm of scientific research, there is a striking structural deficit of one-sidedness: numerous efforts are made to improve the new options available to reproductive medicine to successfully treat sterility whereas little is done to explore its aetiology. At present, the environmental burden to reproduction is an important scientific issue; the evident lack of research in this area is frightening and calls for compensation.
