Severino Antinori

Severino Antinori (born 1945) is an Italian gynecologist and embryologist. He has publicly taken controversial positions over in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and human cloning.

He began his career interested in veterinary biology. He studied at the University of Rome, graduating in 1972 with a degree in medicine. Initially he worked in gastroenterology, but following a lecture by Patrick Steptoe he re-trained in obstetrics and gynecology, moving into reproductive and infertility work from 1978. He set up his own clinic in Rome in 1982. In 1986 he pioneered the use of the ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) process in Italy. From 1989 he extended IVF to women who had passed the menopause.

In 1994 he assisted Rosana Della Cortes, aged 63, in becoming pregnant, she became the oldest woman in history to give birth.

He publicized his interest in human cloning from 1998; working with Panayiotis Zavos he argued in favour of cloning as an opportunity for infertile couples. In November 2002, Antinori announced that he had successfully used cloning to induce pregnancy in three women, with birth of the first child expected in January 2003. He refused to give the identities of the women or details of where they lived, and mainstream scientists and doctors expressed skepticism about his claims.