THE Suggestion and Complaints Committee of the People's Assembly (the Lower House of the Egyptian Parliament) has approved a draft law to regulate in vitro fertilisation (IVF) that was submitted by MP Ibtesam Habib. She had referred the draft law to the Islamic Research Centre which approved all its articles before referring it to the PA's Health Committee. She expects that the PA will tackle the draft law during its current session. The PA approved the draft law, which includes several articles that aim to control IVF, which some obstetricians have been abusing, in order to traffic in children. The first of these articles stipulates specific conditions that must be met for IVF, such as a report issued by a team of three obstetricians who must witness that IVF is the only available technique, in a particular case, for pregnancy to happen. The second article stipulates that IVFand IUI (intra-uterine insemination) must only happen between a married couple. Thirdly, the physicians should get written approval from the couple before carrying out the intervention, after acquainting them with the possible risks and the average rate of success. If physicians follow these procedures and a child is born as a result, the baby will get legal recognition. There is an article in the draft law that bans choosing the gender of the child in this process. Dr Lamis el-Zurkani, a consultant obstetrician at Al-Galaa Hospital in Isaaf, stresses that both IVF and IUI, which started about 20 years ago, offer a fast and successful solution to childless couples. She notes that many couples resort to this if the woman's ovulation is weak or her husband has a low sperm count, adding that the success rate in Egypt is close to the global one, although the ages of the couple and their state of health are important factors to bear in mind. Dr Lamis points out that IUI and ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) compare favourably with IVF, with pregnancy often taking place only three weeks after the start of the procedures. If an ovum is not used, it could be frozen to be reused by the same woman – but not another woman – at a later date. She stresses that the procedures are strictly applied, to prevent that the couple – and no-one else – from becoming parents. Dr Gamal Abul Sorour, head of the IVF Unit at Al-Azhar University, says that IUI is used if the sperm cells are weak or they die in blocked fallopian tubes or are infertile for unknown reasons. He notes that both Islam and Christianity have strict regulations for IVF – the semen must be taken from the husband and the ovum from the wife, during their marriage life, not after their divorce. The regulations are issued according to a fatwa (religious edict) from former Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Gad el-Haq Ali Gad el-Haq. Dr Abul Sorour notes that all religions permit ICSI between husband and wife, but prohibit the donation of an ovum from another woman or sperm from another man. Dr Abdel-Aziz Shubari, an expert in IVF and IUI, stresses the need for coming up with accurate regulations for establishing IVF centres that should be equipped with the necessary devices and manned by specialists. He mentions that violations do occur, resulting in mixed parentage, but they rarely happen at the major centres, which have a reputation to maintain. Dr Shubari regrets that some couples get divorced if IVF or IUI fails, after they've spent a lot of money on it. An official spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Dr Abdul Rahman Shahin, says that there are 150 IVF centres in Egypt. He too stresses the need for strict regulations to prevent cases of mixed parentage.
