ABSTRACT
The birth of Louisa Brown has brought more or less a revolution in the reflection on the beginning of human life. Preimplantation diagnosis (PID) and human gene therapy are further steps in the application of medical progress on human reproduction. Connecting lines are certainly present: the ethical evaluation of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) can and should indeed be the frame of reference for the ethical approach of PID and human gene therapy. The societal dimension is expressed through the open communication about procedures, contracts with couples and quality control. This Louvain openness for societal control is unique in a country where no legislation on IVF exists. A premature application could, however, lead to some dangers. Looking back at one of the new methods of IVF, namely the intracytoplasmic sperm injection, more and more scientific and clinical warnings come from the medical profession.
