Introduction

Abstract

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) — literally, fertilisation in glass — hit the headlines in 1978 when Louise Brown, the first baby to be conceived using the procedure, was born. In the years preceding her birth, the nascent technology had been the subject of intense debate in terms of both the ethics of the endeavour and its practicability. The safe arrival of Louise Brown confirmed that it was indeed possible to successfully remove an egg from a woman’s body, fertilise it in a petri dish and transfer it to the uterus via the cervix, resulting in a pregnancy that was capable of continuing to term. The caesarean birth was filmed and, before stitching the wound, like a magician pulling back the curtain to reveal the splendour of his trick, Patrick Steptoe, who pioneered the procedure with Robert Edwards, showed Mrs Brown’s uterus to the camera to confirm the absence of fallopian tubes (Challoner 1999: 46). The miracle baby was born.