IBN Sina Memorial Lecture at the 8th International & 39th Annual Convention Of Islamic Medical Association of North America.
Beijing, China
July 25, 2006 - July 28, 2006.

Faroque Ahmed Khan, M.B., M.A.C.P.
Professor of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Chairman Board of Trustees, Islamic Center of Long Island, New York
Member Board of Trustees Islamic Medical Association of North America
Member Majlis-Shura of Islamic society of North America.
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It is, indeed, a great honor for me to give this presentation in the beautiful settings of Beijing, China.

This presentation commemorates the remarkable contributions and achievements of Abu Ali al Husin Ibn Abdullah Ibn Sina. Born in 980 near Bukhara in Uzbekistan, Ibn Sina was the foremost medical scholar, philosopher, and educator in the world at the beginning of the second millenium, a thousand years ago.

I have structured this talk as a conversation with Ibn Sina. Let us assume Ibn Sina has returned from "Barzakh" and is amongst us in Beijing, how might he address the issues regarding the usage, limitations and advantages created by the rapid proliferation of modern technology. I will present some of my own personal observations related to my work as an Intensivist-Pulmonologist and more recently as a ‘spokesperson’ for the Islamic Center of Long Island in New York. The three case studies I will present deal with-1)Intensive care monitoring devices such as Swanz Ganz Catheter-do they really make a difference 2)The case of Terri Schiavo in USA brought into sharp focus the challenge of caring for the hopelessly ill, she ‘died’ from dehydration and starvation-is that permissible? and 3)Grandma Martha’s dilemma-can she carry the fertilized ovum of her daughter Joanne, and Joanne’s husband Robert, Joanne was born without a uterus.

Before we do that, let’s refresh our collective memory regarding Ibn Sina and the times he lived in.....

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FAROQUE A. KHAN, M.B., M.A.C.P. ( e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
Professor of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook

In this article I will briefly outline the following Islamic concepts regarding:

1. Purpose of Life
2. The Sanctity of Life
3. Concept of Death and the Definition of Death
4. End-of-Life Issues and the Resulting Issues of Advanced Directives, Pain Control and Comfort Care
5. Some Relevant Case Studies From Author’s Personal Experience Which Highlight the Dilemmas

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Dr. Musa Mohd. Nordin
MBBCh (Wales) FRCP (Edin) FAMM
Consultant Paediatrician & Neonatologist
Damnsara Specialist Hospital
MALAYSIA

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Edwards, an embryologist and Dr. Steptoe, a gynaecologist in the United Kingdom first pioneered the fertility technique called In Vitro Fertilisation Pre-Embryo Transfer ( IVF – ET ). In July 1978, they announced to the world the birth of the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown which was a landmark achievement in the science of reproductive medicine (1).

Since then, a myriad of assisted reproductive techniques have surfaced, further refining and superseding earlier technologies. Assisted reproductive technologies ( ART ) refers to all the techniques involved in the management of infertility that require the handling and manipulation of gametes and embryos and treatment modalities to induce ovulation or spermatogenesis. Techniques of invivo assisted reproduction facilitate the fertilization of the gametes within the reproductive tract of the wife. This may be achieved through the procedures of intrauterine insemination (IUI), intratubal insemination (ITI) and gamete intra fallopian transfer ( GIFT) (2). Mating of the gametes ocuur extracorporeally during invitro assisted conception. The modalities to facilitate the fertilization invitro followed by transfer into the reproductive tract include in vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer (IVF - ET), pronuclear stage tubal transfer (PROST), zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) and tubal embryo stage transfer (TEST) (3,4,5). More radical forms of micro-manipulation techniques have been recently developed to assist fertilization of men with severe infertility. These include intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and micro injection of round spermatid nuclei into oocytes (ROSNI) (6,7)

Since the introduction of IVF-ET technology, well over 500,000 babies have been born. The probability of a successful pregnancy is dependant on a variety of factors including the age and the reproductive health of the wife and the husband. Eventhough reported success rates from ART programs can be very confusing and misleading, the probability of a successful outcome has improved from virtually zero to 30-50% at ART centers worldwide.

These new technologies in assisted reproduction has provoked considerable discussions and debates across all segments of human society. These revolutionary procedures in ART has probed the outermost boundaries of what is scientifically possible and acceptable. Micro manipulation at the very earliest stages of human development is a very delicate and sensitive issue with potentially explosive ethical, social, medico-legal and religious ramifications. Hence the turbulent and not uncommonly hostile controversies that has since evolved.

The Islamic Organisation for Medical Sciences (IOMS), first addressed this issue on human reproduction in May 1983. Human reproductive cloning, an offshoot of ART, which is currently attracting a lot of public and media attention was similarly addressed at this 1983 seminar. Since the IOMS seminar, there has been a multitude of medico-Islamic jurisprudence seminars to discuss various contemporary issues related to ART.

This essay attempts to examine the various bioethical facets of ART and present an Islamic perspective of the infertility problem and the bio-religio-ethics of ART.

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