‘Virgin births possible’
NZPA-Reuter London Men could soon be unnecessary for procreation because of discoveries by scientists working on testtube baby technology, according to a book published recently. Two British science writers argue in the book, “The Redundant Male,” that sperm is not necessary for reproduction and that virgin birth is not only possible but may have happened many times. “Doctors working on testtube fertilisation have discovered much to their surprise that human eggs, all on their own, and with no help from a sperm, can divide,” say Dr Jeremy Cherfas and Dr John Gribbon. “It requires no great leap of imagination to see that in the very near future women might be quite capable of dispensing with men altogether.” Professor lan Craft, a leading British pioneer in the field and head of the invitro fertilisation unit at London’s Cromwell Hospital, said the book’s theory was untenable. He said he had never seen a human egg dividing unaided, nor read evidence of such an event.
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Press, 12 June 1984, Page 37
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165‘Virgin births possible’ Press, 12 June 1984, Page 37
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