34 years after first test tube baby, ethical questions remain

July 9, 2012 3:00 PM

California embryo bank — Embryologist Ric Ross pulls out vials of human embryos from a liquid Nitrogen storage container at the La Jolla IVF Clinic February 28, 2007 in La Jolla, California. The clinic accepts donated embryos from around the country through The Stem Cell resource which are then given to stem cell research labs for research.
Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

This month marks 34 years since the first test tube baby was born. It was a girl born in July 1978 in Oldham, England. Experts estimate there are now 5 million people born thanks to IVF and similar interventions.

While the procedures are becoming quite common, ethical questions linger. What are these concerns? And what new questions are being asked over emerging genetic and reproductive technologies?

Susan Wolf, McKnight Presidential Professor of Law, Medicine & Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, will join The Daily Circuit Tuesday to discuss the latest bioethical concerns. Erik Parens, senior research scholar at the Hastings Center, will also join the discussion.

VIDEO: Cracking Your Genetic Code

Watch Cracking Your Genetic Code on PBS. See more from NOVA.

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