“Donum Vitae” and Gamete Intra-Fallopian Tube Transfer

Asch R. H. , Ellsworth L R. , Balmaceda J. P. , Wong P. C. “Pregnancy after translaparascopic gamete intrafallopian tube transfer (GIFT)”, Lancet, 2, p. 1034, 1984.

The procedure undertaken by the Mercy Maternity Hospital, Melbourne, as I understood it to have been explained to me by Dr. Peter Maher, involves ovarian hyperstimulation and monitoring of ovulation, the harvesting of several ova using the procedure known as laparascopy, the maturing of the ova in a culture medium, the harvesting of sperm by the couple using a perforated condom following sexual intercourse, the capacitation of the sperm in the laboratory and then the transfer of sperm and ova to the Fallopian tubes by a method in which the sperm and the ova are separated by a quantity of culture medium.

This procedure is described in “Low Tubal Ovum Transfer: An Alternative to In Vitro Fertilization,” Fertility and Sterility, October, 1980, pp. 375–378.

Described as GIFT in “Preliminary experiences with Gamete intrafallopian tube transfer” by Asch Ricardo Fertility and Sterility. Vol 45, No. 3, March 1986, pp. 366–423.

In the debate on a Bill which would legalize pre-syngamous embryo experimentation, Dr. G. M. Vaughan, a member of the Government in the Victorian Parliament and a Catholic, stated, “The theological advice I have sought has not provided me with a clear direction. I find the theological advice quite confusing. I refer to the recent Vatican document relating to the subject matter of the Bill. It comes from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, It is dated 1987 and headed Instruction on Respect for Human Life in its Origins and on the Dignity of Procreation and replies to certain questions of the day. “In the first chapter of the document entitled “Respect for Human Embryos”, there is advice given which is relevant to the debate, but whether the advice would lead one to support the Bill or oppose it I am not sure. I remain confused. It is not an easy debate to enter into. The matter is not an easy matter on which to legislate.” Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 13 November, 1987, p. 2551, Victorian Government Printer, Melbourne.

The statement “The zygote is the cell produced when the nuclei of the two gametes have fused.” (I, Question 1, footnote to para. 3) in the English translation of “Donum Vitae” is inaccurate, misleading and confusing when one considers what actually happens. There has been a clarification from Cardinal Ratzinger in a letter to the Australian Catholic Bishops dated November 9, 1987. The latter indicates that the English translation did not accurately reflect the original Italian, or the authentic Latin version.

“Donum Vitae”, Section II, A.

There are reports that some teams are managing to obtain up to 20 or more ova in a cycle.

Ova freezing has been undertaken successfully by a team directed by Dr. Christopher Chen, then at Adelaide but subsequently having moved to the University of Singapore.

There are many possible complications and several common adverse effects from the use of ovarian stimulants. For details of these see Daly T. V. , and Tonti-Filippini Nicholas Experimenting with the Origins of Human Lives, St. Vincent's Bioethics Centre, Melbourne (1986), p. 32ff.

As the procedure was described by Dr. Ian Johnston of the Reproductive Unit, The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, the sperm and ova are put into the same catheter at the same time, but separated by an air bubble. From the description given, it seemed that the air bubble served no good purpose other than to satisfy some moral critics, and so is probably not considered necessary by those who are otherwise practicing IVF. Bioethics Update, 1987 Annual Conference on Bioethics, conducted by St. Vincent's Bioethics Centre, Melbourne.

It was a project involving this procedure which initiated an amendment to the Victorian legislation so that experiments on pre-synagmous human embryos could be undertaken. The procedure has now been undertaken in humans and it has been reported that a pregnancy has been attempted (“Times on Sunday”, 13/4/88).

These points are discussed in detail in Daly T. V. , and Tonti-Filippini N. Experimenting with the Origins of Human Lives, St. Vincent's Bioethics Centre: Melbourne (1986), pp. 31–44.

McBain John C. , and Trounson Alan “Patient Management-Treatment Cycle” in Clinical In Vitro Fertilization, edited by Wood Carl , and Trounson Alan , Springer Verlag, Berlin (1984), pp. 53–4.

Johnston Ian “Gamete Intra-fallopian Tube Transfer”, 1987 Annual International Conference on Bioethics, St. Vincent's Bioethics Centre.

“Cash Battle for the Baby-Makers”, The Australian, 13/5/88.

“Marriage and Assisted Procreation” Ethics and Medics, Pope John Centre, Massachusetts, October, 1987, p. 4.

Caffarra Carlo Msgr. “The Moral Problem of Artificial Insemination” Linacre Quarterly, Vol. 55, No. 1, February, 1988, p. 42.

I owe this example to Rev. Fr. Ray Campbell, O.F.M. Cap., which he gave during a conversation at Sydney Airport, 13/5/88.

I owe this analogy to Prof. Josef Seifert at a dinner with several others in Melbourne in May, 1987.