Today, IVF may be the support of thousands of people in Pakistan, but initially it had to face strong opposition. Some people called it ‘haram’.
The beginning of IVF was not easy in Pakistan. Symbolic picture
A large number of married couples in Pakistan are victims of infertility and are unable to produce children by natural means. Such people are supported by a technique called in vitro fertilization, which gives them the pleasure of becoming parents. IVF technology may be popular among people in Pakistan today, but the beginning of Dr. Rasheed Latif, who brought it among the public, was not easy.
Initially people strongly criticized this technique and Dr Rashid. Even ten clerics termed it as ‘haram’ and ‘a conspiracy of America’. Dr Rashid established the first IVF center ‘Life’ in Lahore Pakistan in 1984, with the help of which thousands of people of Pakistan are able to become parents today. This was the time when there was lack of awareness of technology in Pakistan and many countries of the world.
Have you not done this ‘haram’ work?
Dr. Rashid kept on working hard and finally got success in 1989 as the first test tube baby. July 6, 1989 was chosen for the birth of the child. Five children were delivered on this day. Recalling that time, Dr Rashid says that the news of the first test tube baby was the biggest news for the newspapers of Pakistan the next day. The father of a newborn came to Dr Rashid and told him that his father asked him if he had done this ‘haram’ work?
In 1980 the Egyptian University issued a fatwa
The first test tube baby in the world was born in the UK in 1978. After this there was a debate about this technique whether this method of producing children is haram or halal? After this, Egypt’s Al Azhar University issued a fatwa in 1980, according to which the eggs used in IVF would be justified if the wife and the sperm belong to the husband only. There was no major controversy against this fatwa till 2015. In 2015, a couple approached a federal Sharia court seeking custody of a child born out of IVF.
Court ruled in 2017
The court, while giving its verdict in 2017, said that according to the law and Sharia of Pakistan, IVF will be considered valid only if the sperm and eggs of husband and wife are used in it. The court said that donated sperm and eggs will not be considered valid. Apart from this, surrogacy was also declared illegal. Let us tell you that in Iran and Lebanon, children born from donated sperm and eggs are considered legal.
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