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In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a technique of medically assisted conception, sometimes referred to as “testtube” fertilisation in which mature oocytes are removed from a woman’s ovary and fertilized with sperm in the laboratory. The practice of IVF and especially its future potential applications creates legal and religious problems, which have special problems with regard to implementation of this procedure in different societies. The birth of the first IVF baby in 1978 brought a lot of hope to many people. The technology, which went with IVF, has meant that other forms of treatment have improved dramatically as well. As I said developments like these raise hopes for many people but also despair for many others. Despair because perhaps they feel that this is something that they can't really come to terms with on ethical grounds. Many people from various religious backgrounds find the new technologies difficult. The embryo as a person: the embryo constitutes a legal person from the moment of conception. The embryo as property: the young in vitro embryo is a form of biological property Scientifically, it is at conception that a biological entity is created with a genome distinct from that of either parent. That