Robert Edwards

Most children dream about the day they will grow up, get married and have kids. What if you were told you could never have children? This problem breaks hearts all over the world everyday. It is estimated that ten percent of all couples are infertile. For years infertility has been a problem, but with the advances in science we are finding new ways to treat it, and allow these couples to have children of their own.
Robert G. Edwards won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2010 for the invention of In vitro fertilization. (IVF). Robert G. Edwards was born in Batley, England in 1925. After serving in the British army during World War II Edwards went back to school to study medicine. He received his Ph. D in 1955 and focused most of his time on the reproductive system. Edwards worked mostly with Patrick Steptoe in the lab. These two master minds worked day and night until they created the first “test tube baby” in on July 25, 1978 at 11:47 pm. Edwards began his work on in vitro Fertilization in the 1950s and successfully completed it in 1978, but did not receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine until 2010. In Vitro Fertilization is a very controversial topic and many religions and social groups fought against the use of it. Many religions argue that it is immoral and selfish. They believe that life should only occur naturally and some even believe that the children that are created this way are not human. A large group of people argue that it is just a way to allow infertile couples to have a family that they have always dreamed of and that there is nothing wrong with it.
Robert Edwards biggest stride came in July of 1978 when he created the first “test tube baby.” Lesley and John Brown had been unsuccessful at conceiving for the nine years they had been married when they agreed to allow Robert Edwards to test his experiment. Both Lesley and John created the necessary materials to create the child, but because of Lesley’s blocked fallopian tube they were unable to conceive naturally. Edwards performed the experiment he had been working on for years. He mixed the egg and sperm together in a test tube, and observed very often. After a few days the fertilized egg was placed in Lesley’s uterus where it spent the rest of the term developing. Louise Brown was born July 25^th 1978 by way of cesarean section, and she was perfectly healthy. Brown lived a healthy and normal life, despite all the publicity. She gave birth to her first son, Cameron, in 2007, whom she conceived naturally.
Robert Edwards worked very hard on this experiment, but he was not the first person to believe this process was possible. It was stated in the Nobel prize press release, “Other scientists had shown that egg cells from rabbits could be fertilized in test tubes when sperm was added, giving rise to offspring. Edwards decided to investigate if similar methods could be used to fertilize human egg cells.” (The Nobel Prize committee. Par.5). Scientists in the past had wondered if this was possible, because other animals such as aquatic mammals are able to fertilized eggs outside of the body. Robert Edwards used information from other scientists and was able to develop a process safe enough for humans.
In vitro fertilization is a very complex process that took years of hard work to develop. In vitro fertilization is a process when a egg from a woman is fertilized outside of the body and is able to be places back into the womb. The fertilized egg is then able to develop naturally and grow to full term. Like any other pregnancy there are risks that go along with In vitro fertilization. Multiple births have been seen with In vitro fertilization. The chances of having twins or triplets with In Vitro fertilization is much greater than with a pregnancy that occurs naturally. A few cases have involves large numbers of children such as six or eight children. This is very uncommon, but has happened. With any pregnancy there comes risks, but with the advances in science the complications are becoming less common.
In vitro fertilization has changed our world. Many couples suffer from infertility, but because of Robert Edward’s hard work and dedication treatments are being used and becoming more safe. Over four million couples have successfully conceived, delivered and raised children by way of In vitro fertilization. Robert Edwards has allowed many couples to fulfill the dream of having a family of their own, which was once impossible. He has helped create millions of happy families and they are so grateful for all of his hard work over the years.