Word: in-vitro
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Cloning people as a fertility treatment strikes me as wrongheaded. Certainly the information in your article strongly suggests that a woman who has trouble getting pregnant through in-vitro fertilization will have no better luck if the embryo used is a clone. People who want a baby could consider adoption. Certainly there are more than enough orphans in this world who would benefit from having a family and a home. JAIME GARY BRAUN Naucalpan, Mexico...
...course, attitudes often change over time. In-vitro fertilization was effectively illegal in much of the U.S. 20 years ago, and the idea of transplanting a heart was once considered horrifying. Public opinion on cloning will evolve just as it did on these issues, advocates predict. But in the meantime, the crusaders are mostly driven underground. Princeton biologist Lee Silver says fertility specialists have told him that they have no problem with cloning and would be happy to provide it as a service to their clients who could afford it. But these same specialists would never tell inquiring reporters that...
...course, attitudes often change over time. In-vitro fertilization was effectively illegal in many states 20 years ago, and the idea of transplanting a heart was once considered horrifying. Public opinion on cloning will evolve just as it did on these issues, advocates predict. But in the meantime, the crusaders are mostly driven underground. Princeton biologist Lee Silver says fertility specialists have told him that they have no problem with cloning and would be happy to provide it as a service to their clients who could afford it. But these same specialists would never tell inquiring reporters that, Silver says...
...their arguments fail. First, stem cells are usually taken from embryos produced for in-vitro fertilization or from aborted fetuses. Both procedures are legal. They produce cells of incalculable value that would otherwise be discarded. Why not derive human benefit from them? Second, the National Institutes of Health guidelines issued last August take away any incentive to abort or otherwise produce embryos just for their useful parts: no payment for embryos and no dedication of embryonic cells for specific recipients (say, for injection into a sick family member). Finally, there is the potential benefit. Because embryonic stem cells can theoretically...
AFTER THE FALL If you're thinking of trying in-vitro fertilization to get pregnant, you might consider waiting a few months. A report from Israel suggests that the likelihood of an egg's being fertilized, and the quality of the embryo that results, are lowest in autumn. No explanation yet, but things pick up by winter and peak when signs of life are popping up everywhere: in spring...