Sir, - Athina Tsouros (July 26th) mentions the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 in the UK as worthy of study for "our own diverse society".
That Act allows experimentation on, and finally the destruction of, human embryos. A few years ago it mandated the destruction of thousands of human embryos by law, which caused international concern. This is not a suitable model for Ireland, nor indeed for anywhere else.
More worthy of study is the German law, which allows the fertilisation of up to three ova only, and the Italian law, which follows the same pattern and forbids the freezing of human embryos, which in itself is a highly destructive process.
Any legislation to regulate assisted human reproduction must respect human life at all stages. The other problems associated with IVF, particularly in regard to donation and surrogacy, pose serious concerns of an ethical and legal nature. Along with all those problems, there is the low 15 per cent chance of producing a baby and the expenditure of thousands of pounds which, in the vast majority of cases, ends in failure. - Yours, etc.
E O'Raghallaigh, Mapas Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin.