ivf – Madison Catholic Herald Archive (2001-2025)

In November 2018, a Chinese scientist named He Jankui (known to his associates as “JK”) claimed that he had successfully produced the world’s first gene-edited human babies using “gene surgery.”

The twin girls, he said, were born somewhere in China with a modified gene that makes them immune to infection from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. A special DNA splicing technique called CRISPR/Cas 9 was used when they were embryos to make the edits. In a series of short videos posted on YouTube, JK offers an explanation of, and justification for, what he did.

The ‘expendable children’

Couples who struggle to get pregnant are turning with greater frequency to the in vitro fertilization (IVF) industry for assistance.

In some cases, they can end up feeling they are “too pregnant” when twins, triplets, or quads arise. This occurs from the practice of implanting more than one embryo at a time to improve pregnancy success rates.

‘Selective reduction’

A multiplet pregnancy can involve significant risk, both for the children in utero, and for the mother. Because of these risks, the pregnant mother will sometimes be advised to opt for a “selective reduction,” where potassium chloride is injected into one or two of the growing babies, to cause their hearts to seize, followed by death and the gradual re-absorption of their bodies during the remainder of the pregnancy.

In vitro fertilization: Do the ends justify the means?

Since the birth of Louise Brown — the world’s first “test tube baby” — in 1978, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has become an increasingly common way for infertile couples to attempt to become parents.