The conception of babies born from an egg fertilized in a laboratory is contrary to ethics and the principle of the Torah, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren said today. Reacting to the successful birth in England of the 5-pound 12-ounce baby girl, who was delivered by Caesarean section Tuesday at the Oldham General Hospital in Lancashire, Goren said the conception was contrary to the Torah view on natural human existence and natural family order.
The development of the system, Goren warned, could damage the family framework and the relations between fathers and their children. He said that because the pregnancy did not start in the natural way, there was no direct link between father and child, nor between mother and child. However, Goren added, the test tube child conception was not contrary to halacha. He said there was hardly any difference between such conception and adopting a child, and therefore, he suggested, the adoption of a child was a better way.
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