Sunni Islamic perspectives on lab-grown sperm and eggs derived from stem cells – in vitro gametogenesis (IVG)

Abstract

An exciting development in the field of assisted reproductive technologies is In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) that enables production of functional gametes from stem cells in the laboratory. Currently, development of this technology is still at an early stage and has demonstrated to work only in rodents. Upon critically examining the ethical dimensions of various possible IVG applications in human fertility treatment from a Sunni Islamic perspective, together with benefit-harm (maslahah-mafsadah) assessment; it is concluded that utilization of IVG, once its efficacy and safety are guaranteed, could be permissible by strictly adhering to Islamic ethical principles related to marriage, biological/genetic relatedness, sexual intercourse, and moral status of the embryo/fetus versus that of the gamete. As a result, IVG will be acceptable for treating primary infertility, age-related infertility, and preventing genetic diseases. However, it will be unacceptable for application in posthumous reproduction, donor gametes, genetic enhancement, and procreation in same-sex couples.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethics
• Fatwa
• Islam
• Muslims
• oocytes
• spermatozoa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The research conducted by Prof. Mohammed Ghaly for this article was supported by the PPM grant ‘Genomics, Islamic Ethics and Public Engagement: Towards Bridging the Knowledge and Communication Gaps,’ no. PPM2-0216-170014, from the Qatar National Research Fund. Dr. Noor Munirah Isa was supported by the Global Forum on Bioethics in Research (GFBR) 2019/2020 Fellowship [220552/Z/20/Z].

Notes on contributors

Gamal Serour

Dr. Gamal Serour is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Director of the International Islamic Center For Population Studies and Research and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. From 2009 to 2012, he was President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). He won the United Nations Population Award in 2013 and the Nile Prize for Science in 2018. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Islamic Research Council of Al-Azhar University.

Mohammed Ghaly

Dr. Mohammed Ghaly is Professor of Islam and Biomedical Ethics at the Research Center for Islamic Legislation & Ethics (CILE) at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University (Egypt) and Master of Arts and PhD degrees in the same specialization from Leiden University, the Netherlands. His main specialization is in the intersection of Islamic ethics and biomedical sciences, and he is presently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Ethics (published by Brill).

Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen

Dr. Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen is the Director of the Centre for Science and Environmental Studies, Institute of Islamic Understanding, Malaysia. His research interests include: Islamic interaction with science, axiology of science, history of science and technology, philosophy of science and technology, logic and critical thinking.

Ayaz Anwar

Dr. Ayaz Anwar is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Medical & Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia. He does research in Nanomedicine, Medicinal Chemistry, and Microbiology. His research on silver nanoparticles targeting brain-eating amoeba gained international coverage and was featured in the New York Times.

Noor Munirah Isa

Dr. Noor Munirah Isa is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, at the University of Malaya, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Currently, she teaches ethics in science as well as media and public understanding of science. She received her PhD in bioethics.

Alexis Heng Boon Chin

Dr. Alexis Heng Boon Chin is a Singapore citizen who had previously worked in the field of human clinical assisted reproduction research in Singapore, and has also held several research and academic positions in Switzerland, Britain, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and the USA. To date, he has authored 50 international journal publications on ethical and legal issues relating to new reproductive technologies, in addition to also having published around 280 scientific journal articles with a cumulative H-index of 52.