No one really makes babies in test tubes, but scientists make an embryo in a glass dish. In vitro is Latin for 'in glass.' Making a baby was once only a chance process that happened inside the human body, away from observers. Now people with fertility problems can get help when the natural process does not work for them. Scientists can collect a women's eggs and a man's sperm and make sure that they get together. The procedures used for in vitro fertilization (IVF) can also be used to help parents avoid passing on genetic diseases to their children. IVF has brought joy to thousands of people who could not have had children without it. But some people object to parents using eggs or sperm that are not their own. It has also raised concerns about research on embryos that are no longer needed because the parents have all the children they want. Some of the research that people want stopped is what made IVF possible in the first place. Science at the Edge: Test Tube Babies: In Vitro Fertilization will give you the full story on this amazing science.
