Assisted Reproduction at 30

Thirty years ago the assisted reproduction industry was born. From tiny but noisy beginnings, it grew through an occasionally troubled adolescence to maturity. Now it's time for it to become a responsible member of society….

[T]he American Society for Reproductive Medicine issues guidelines, and the Centers for Disease Control collect data, but there are essentially no sanctions for violations….That's why so many moderate, sympathetic analysts complain that the industry is "not enveloped by a coherent whole regulatory framework" (Kathy Hudson, Johns Hopkins). "A bit of mandatory reining in might not be a bad thing," suggests Peggy Orenstein, who has written about her own experience with assisted reproduction. As Debora Spar, President of Barnard College, says, "Governments need to play a more active role in regulating the baby trade."

The demand for regulation will only grow as the industry tries to broaden its markets. Some new techniques are useful, such as those allowing previously infertile men to father children (though there remain some medical questions about the results). Others are more problematic. Egg freezing is being pushed as a techno-solution to the "problem" of working women wanting to delay pregnancy. And on the horizon, getting closer all the time, is the idea of choosing your baby's height or body type or perhaps even intelligence….

These issues are not new. Back in 1978, Dr. C. Everett Koop, later President Reagan's surgeon general, while supporting IVF worried about "the next step, when Mrs. Jones decides she wants a child from that tall, blond gene pool down the block." A prominent liberal British MP feared that "we are moving to a time when an embryo purchaser could select in advance the color of the baby's eyes and its probable IQ."

The British, to their credit, set up an agency to oversee these and related issues so long ago that it is now in the process of reform. The U.S., observers say, should also take the next step to properly oversee an industry that needs to take its rightful place in society - supported, available to all, and legally regulated.

 Previously on Biopolitical Times:

• Washington Post: Inadequate supply of Viking sperm a crisis for successful single women
• Questioning the Commerce of Conception
• Sperm on the High Seas