On December 28, 1981, Elizabeth Jordan Carr was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and became known as the first American “test-tube baby.” Her birth followed a successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, in which an egg was fertilized outside the body and then implanted in the uterus. At the time, IVF was still new and controversial, and her arrival drew intense media attention and public debate. Supporters saw the procedure as a breakthrough that could help infertile couples start families. Critics raised ethical, religious, and safety concerns about assisted reproductive technologies. In the decades that followed, IVF became more common and refined, and millions of children worldwide have been born using similar methods.
