British nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy was instrumental in the development of IVF in the 1960s, but wasn't officially acknowledged until nearly 40 years after her death. New film Joy tells her story.
Nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy was instrumental in the development of IVF, but wasn't officially acknowledged until nearly 40 years after her death.Many of us have grown up in an age where IVF is not only ubiquitous, but largely destigmatised . It's commonplace to hear of friends and family undergoing the process, it's not uncommon to undergo it yourself if you're a person with a uterus and a desire to have children.
"This has been the job of a lifetime for me. It means so much to me," Thomasin McKenzie told The Standard.It doesn't take long to realise that Joy is an homage to Jean Purdy , the British nurse and embryologist who was instrumental in the development of IVF, but who wasn't acknowledged on a plaque commemorating its pioneers until 2022, nearly 40 years after her untimely death from cancer.
Indispensable to their efforts is accomplished obstetrician Patrick Steptoe , reviled by the short-sighted medical establishment of the time for pioneering the minimally invasive laparoscopy, itself an incredibly utilised procedure these days. Completing the quartet is operating theatre superintendent Sister Muriel Harris, whose strong moral compass is portrayed by the suitably imposing Tanya Moodie. Harris's name was also added posthumously and belatedly to the plaque.
But the toll is most severe on Jean. Shunned by her religious mother who thinks she's "playing god" and effectively excommunicated by her church, Jean is isolated by her decision to continue working in the IVF clinic. Joy is, in many ways, about imperfect people loving and being loved imperfectly. Jean's mother is only able to reconcile with her only daughter when her dogmatic wishes about how she lives her life are heeded. Robert is unable to empathise with Jean's estrangement from her mother when it interferes with their research.
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