Robert Edwards, 85, was finally awarded for his breakthrough in in-vitro fertilization by receiving the Nobel Prize for Medicine on Monday. In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is the conception of the fetus outside the womb, then carried inside the womb. IVF has brought hope to millions of infertile families, with four million children being born because of IVF since it was first developed. The first was Louise Brown, of England, in 1978. Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe (deceased in 1988) were the scientists who worked on this method. Edwards is very pleased with his award, although he is ill and is having trouble being interviewed.
Although I think it's wonderful that Robert Edwards was awarded the Nobel Prize, I think it's astounding how long it took for him to be awarded! IVF is obviously a life-changing (and life-starting) development that deserves a great amount of praise. Although I'm generally the type of person to be more in favor of "natural" processes, I really do think this is a miracle for those families who wouldn't be able to have a child otherwise. I try to put myself in people's shoes and think how, if I weren't able to have a child, how deeply depressed I would be, but also how excited I would be to find out about IVF. I also think it's good that someone received a prize for something so worthwhile, while some prizes seemed to be awarded simply because someone was politically correct.
I was unaware that he won this prize until I read your blog, so thank you for filling me in! But I totally agree with you on this, Leah. It is so great to hear that this man got rewarded for something so ground breaking and a process that helps so many families conceive children.
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