The Rotunda Hospital is engaged in freezing zygotes and not in the freezing of embryos, Professor Robert Harrison, of the Rotunda, has told The Irish Times. The Pro-Life Campaign said in a statement earlier it had formally asked the hospital to clarify its position on the freezing of human embryos following reports that the hospital intended to do this.
Professor Harrison, director of the Human Assisted Reproduction Ireland (HARI) unit at the hospital, said zygotes were being frozen as part of the development of the hospital's IVF programme. He said zygotes were the fertilised cells at the pre-embryonic stage.
"One of the things we have been hoping to develop over the past number of years is the freezing of zygotes. We have had the equipment for some time for freezing the sperm of cancer patients and the expertise has been in place for some time also," he said.
Since it started a month ago 55 of the 80 patients receiving IVF treatment at the hospital had opted to have zygotes frozen but only 26 had any zygotes to freeze, Prof Harrison said.
One reason for freezing zygotes was that it might reduce the risk of multiple pregnancy particularly in younger patients receiving IVF treatment, he said.
The Pro-Life Campaign, in its statement, had said that freezing embryos had serious constitutional implications.