6 Ethics for Embryologists 159The bearing of personal responsibility was demonstrated in a variety
of ways, including the capacity to maintain documentation even when
working under pressure, to regulate one’s internal psyche when engag-
ing in meticulous work such as ICSI, to be relied upon to maintain
commitment to excellence equal to any other member of the team, to
ensure one’s demeanour was professional even in the face of panick-
ing, rude or anxious clients. The weight of their ethical responsibil-
ity pressed scientists to be as perfect in their technique as they could
be and gave them the courage to stand their ground on the extremely
rare occasions when documentation did not appear to match samples.
Scientists were also extremely aware of the investment in hope from
their patient’s side and understood that poor technique on their part
might influence the pregnancy outcome for their client. The public
nature of their competencies was probably also an incentive towards
even more extensive self-monitoring and diligence, as scientists were
publicly assigned responsibilities to various reproductive materials.
Rates of fertility, for example, were studied and compared for all lab-
oratories and for all staff. There was also a tendency for doctors and
nurses to attribute any drop in ‘fert rates’ solely to the laboratory staff;
however, their own contributions to the delivery of drugs, to implanta-
tion, etc., were also variables. It was certainly noticeable that scientists
frequently came into the laboratory out of hours or on their days off in
order to check on how fertilisation or development of ‘their cells’ was
progressing. Many spoke of restless nights and general anxiety around
‘fert rates’ and rates of fertilised cell development. Some reported the
necessity for counselling in order to place their responsibilities for such
a vague and uncertain outcome in a more realistic perspective. Several
scientists summed up these feelings of responsibility as part of their
custodial role for the embryos in their care.
The experience of such responsibility prompted a great deal of self-
reflection. This was allied with the careful maintenance of the scientific
backdrop of the laboratory as an ethical practice of care, with faith in
the wider clinic itself and the ancillary staff who provided counselling
for clients and with faith in the broader regulatory framework’s capac-
ity to produce a characteristic understanding of the ethical purpose of
embryology for the majority of the scientists as being the provision of