Making Babies: A Personal View of IVF

Accompanying a six-part BBC1 television series, this is an examination of the human, ethical and emotional issues arising from in-vitro fertilization. Whilst the programmes closely follow the hopes and experiences of eight couples following IVF treatment, the book presents the background to the problems faced by women who had IVF during the filming. Some had successful treatment, but others failed. These couples, and the team treating them, faced moral dilemmas, such as whether spending so much money on IVF is justified when NHS resources are so tight, whether it is right to treat women for infertility after the menopause, whether genetic engineering will stop at testing for hereditary defects, how research on human embryos can be justified, and whether the Government's regulatory body is effective.