It would be easy to dismiss the statement as another example of the church retreating from the advance of science, in this case a medical advance that has made it possible for thousands of infertile couples to have children. But the document embodies the moral concerns that many observers have regarding the use of embryos as experimental material. It is a document that Australia, with its burgeoning IVF industry, should study well.
Victoria, Australia, is already quite far along the path to the regulation of IVE In 1984, the Victorian Parliament passed the Infertility (Medical Procedures) Act, with most provisions coming into effect in August 1986. The Act specifies that all proposals for research on human embryos be cleared by a government-appointed committee, and provides for criminal penalties—including jail terms of up to four years—for researchers conducting unauthorized experiments or stepping beyond the committee's recommendation.
In certain cases, the law ...
