Dr Vivienne Raper
Progress Educational Trust
16 June 2011
[BioNews, London]
IVF pioneer Professor Robert Edwards has been awarded a knighthood in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours. The knighthood follows Professor Edwards' Nobel Prize in Medicine win last year for his work developing this fertility treatment. His work led to the birth of Louise Brown, the first so-called 'test tube' baby, in July 1978. Since then, around four million babies have been born after IVF treatment.
Professor Edwards' wife Ruth said on BBC News: 'This honour recognises his years of devotion and dedication to alleviate human infertility despite many setbacks and much opposition'.
Professor Martin Johnson from the University of Cambridge wrote in BioNews last year before Professor Edwards, 85, received this honour: 'Only the UK Government now remains tardily ungenerous in acknowledging with a high honour the achievements of this extraordinary man'.
http://www.BioNews.org.uk
© Copyright 2012 Progress Educational Trust
Reproduced with permission from BioNews, an email and online sources of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and genetics.
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DR. M. D. KINI. MB.,FRCOG(UK) said on 20 June 2011
"Prof Edwards and Patrick Steptoe produced the first IVF baby in 1978 it was hailed the worldover. They were both recognized as pioneers in the field. They deserved the recognition of Nobel Prize and the knighthoods to honour the Britsh achievement. But they got the respect and the honour everywhere except UK!!Othey people who jumped on the bandwagon got the Queen's honours earlier. What a shame.
I honour these two great men for the service they have done to medicine and to over a million couple who have had their babies by IVF..."
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