Kenyan Christians lobby for strict IVF rules

NAIROBI, Kenya—Kenyan lawmakers are facing a backlash from a Christian lobby group over a law aimed at regulating in vitro fertilization, an assisted reproduction technology that is gaining popularity there. The Christian group says the bill doesn’t go far enough to protect women or children.

The Kenya Christian Professionals Forum claims the bill is another way of legalizing selective abortion, which they term as illegal, unethical, and unacceptable in Kenya. The lobby wants the bill to state clearly that there should be no placement of more than three embryos in a woman’s womb because of the grave danger posed to the mother and the risk of premature birth of the children.

The group also wants the bill to define “infertility” and make it available only to married couples who cannot achieve pregnancy by natural means. And the group wants the bill to prohibit people from offering compensation for sperm or egg donation and bar export or import of eggs or embryos. It is now left to the medical practitioners to determine whether or not to compensate, and how to compensate, those who donate eggs or sperm.

The lobby argues enacting the bill as it is presents an avenue for abuse through scientific research, which could be done without the knowledge of the donors.

In vitro fertilization has been taking place in Kenya without any regulation until now. According to the bill’s sponsor, the legislation will fill that legal gap and make provisions that address the consent necessary for the procedure; the regulation of the handling of embryos resulting from the processes; protection of the identity, status, and welfare of children born as a result; and the obligations of people seeking the procedure and their status as parents.

The bill also creates an In Vitro Fertilization Authority which will regulate the processes and develop additional standards, regulations, and guidelines.

Millie Mabona, the bill’s sponsor, has declined to meet with her critics, but she said their misgivings are not valid since she is working even for the interest of Christian women who are having difficulty conceiving. Without legitimate fertility treatment options, Mabona suggested, women might be tempted to seek other partners in an attempt to get pregnant.

“I have not met [the Christian Professionals] but all I can say is most women who have approached me are Christian faithful who do not want to have kids with other men behind their husbands back due to their Christian faith,” Mabona said.

The Kenyan constitution recognizes that every person has a right to life, and that life starts at conception. The forum contends in vitro fertilization means human life will come into existence in a laboratory.

Robert Aseda, media officer at Network for Adolescents and Youth, said although it is important that the concerns raised by the forum be addressed, technological revolutions throughout the world have provided opportunities to answer old challenges and that as a nation, Kenya cannot afford to be left behind.

“Reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization and surrogacy will go a long way in ensuring that women who cannot achieve pregnancy through natural means have an opportunity of bringing to life their own blood through surrogate mothers,” he said. “Women with damaged reproductive system either due to disability, accidents or diseases finally have an opportunity to do what they could never have imagined possible.”

Rayhab Gachango, a Christian woman who has followed the debate over the bill, said Kenyan society wrongly defines a woman by her ability to have children. But women sometimes struggle for years to have children of their own.

“The Bible says God is the giver of life,” she said. “Even those test tube babies are part of His creation. The children are not being formed out of artificial sperm or eggs. It is not an issue whether it is in a test tube or the womb. There is no magic or witchcraft there. Sometimes it is just that the process of fertilization in a woman’s body does not take place because of various issues affecting either the man or the woman.”

The debate comes at a time when reports indicate more and more Kenyan couples are embracing in vitro fertilization since the procedure was first successfully done in Kenya in 2006.

Dr. S. R. Mishra, chairman of the Mediheal Group of Hospitals, said initially the group handled about 20 cases every year. Now his team does 40 to 50 treatments each year.

In African society, infertility has always been considered a taboo subject, but Dr. Praful Patel, a fertility expert, said nearly one-third of the Kenyan population has difficulty having children for one reason or another.

Kenya’s debate about regulating fertility treatments is not unique. Fox News reported last year that more than three decades after Britain produced the world’s first test-tube baby, Europe still places restrictions on assisted reproductive technology. Many countries have strict rules on who is allowed to get fertility treatments. Reasons for the restrictions vary from country to country. Many cite concerns about creating “unnatural” relationships between donors, parents, and children. Others are driven by religious or cultural objections.

The United States does not restrict who can have in-vitro fertilization or how many eggs can be harvested or transferred.

Although she supports using reproductive technology to help infertile women conceive, Gachango agrees with the Christian lobby that Kenyan law should address the issue of scientific research.

“I do believe that it is unethical to use embryos for research without knowledge of donors so there should be a clause that deals with that,” she said. “There should be strong legislation to make sure that the system is not abused.”