A recent study delves into the surplus of human embryos resulting from IVF techniques stored under cryopreservation in the UK. According to the research, the number of such embryos is at an all-time high since records began in 1991 by the United Kingdom’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
The study presents a quantitative analysis of data from 1991 to 2019 provided by the HFEA, along with commentary on the observed trends. Shockingly, it is revealed that at least 130,000 human embryos have been discarded in the UK since 1991, with 500,000 embryos still frozen in liquid nitrogen tanks, most likely destined for destruction.
The infamous Warnock Report of 1984 identified the “pre-embryo” as an embryo less than 14 days old and attributed a special moral status to it, preventing direct elimination in the case of surplus embryos obtained through IVF procedures. However, the scientific community today acknowledges that the term “pre-embryo” is scientifically unfounded, as there is no change in nature in the early embryo to warrant such classification based on maturation state.
As highlighted in our previous publications, there is a concerning number of abandoned embryos in Spain, with many more globally remaining cryopreserved and likely doomed for destruction.
The accumulation of cryopreserved embryos raises a moral dilemma juxtaposed with the normalization of abortion. Why should these surplus embryos face destruction while aborted embryos are discarded freely?
This alarming contradiction underscores a utilitarian mentality that disregards human life in its vulnerable state. It is ethically unacceptable to terminate human lives through abortion as well as to create embryos for the sole purpose of destruction or research, often after years of undignified cryopreservation.
Efforts to limit surplus embryos collide with the interests of clinics seeking higher success rates, perpetuating the issue. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis further complicates the situation by enabling selective breeding, exacerbating ethical concerns.
Assisted reproduction has fueled controversy over the years, from discarded embryos to designer babies, highlighting the ethical complexities inherent in these procedures.
Despite these challenges, the public’s increasing reliance on assisted reproduction techniques, especially in our country, demonstrates a pressing need for ethical reflection and regulation in this field.
Julio Tudela – Life Sciences Institute – Bioethics Observatory – Catholic University of Valencia
