Having babies is a common part of life. Unfortunately, not every individual is able to do this due to biological or other issues. Infertility and being unable to bear a child due to issues such as orientation affect a lot of individuals and couples. According to Brezina and Zhao (2012), “worldwide, more than 70 million couples are afflicted with infertility” (p.1). Sadly, this creates a lot of stress and heartache for those who wish to have kids but are unable to. Beginning in 1978, this changed when the first in vitro (IVF) baby was born. The birth of Louise Brown also commonly known as the first test tube baby was very important in the explosion of IVF in the years to come. This gave hope to many individuals and couples throughout the world …show more content…
Over the years many laws have been developed either in response to certain issues or to protect patients and their unborn fetus. One of the major ethical concerns is multiple births. Since this issue became noticed in the 1980’s many countries issued laws that require facilities to report the number of embryos transferred in an IVF cycle. However, there was no law limiting the amount of embryos transferred. Currently, there are many countries that do have laws restricting the amount of embryos to be transferred, in an effort to reduce the amount of multiple gestations (Brezina & Zhao, 2012). Multiple gestations, even in spontaneous pregnancies result in an increased in birth defects and other health related issues including pre-term babies and miscarriages. However, IVF has a higher chance of causing multiple pregnancies with as many as 8 embryos. Davies et al., (2012) found that “treatment with reproductive technology was associated with increased risks of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, urogenital, and gastrointestinal defects and cerebral palsy” (p.1812).These risks must be considered and explained to the patient before procedures to follow the principle of autonomy. Another major concern with ART therapy is financing. For those individuals who are in high standing money is not an issue. However, others may have a difficult time scraping up the money needed for such procedures. Hagel …show more content…
Although this may be helpful to avoid certain sex linked disorders, it can also cause chaos. For instance, if used on a large scale it could mess with the gender proportions. It could also create many ethical and religious debates about playing God (Breina and Zhao, 2012). These are considerations that must be taken seriously in order to conserve such treatment for future generations. Over the years many laws have been developed in countries all over the world with differences related to “cultural attitudes, traditions, religious views, and the majority’s moral position” (Storrow, 2011, p.539). This has lead to many individuals going to other countries for procedures that they may not be able to have where they live. This process is called cross border reproductive care (CBRC) and occurs in places that have strict laws like exclusion of non-heterosexual couples from infertility treatments, bans on surrogacy’s, or egg donations (Storrow, 2011). Some people may also travel to foreign countries because of the difference in prices for treatments. Obesity is also a factor that may play a role in CBRC. Obese women often have harder times getting pregnant and seek treatment with ART more often than woman of normal weight. Pregnant obese woman often have “an increased risk of complications, leading to higher maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and increased costs” (Koning et al.,
In the article “Selecting the Perfect Baby: The Ethics of “Embryo Design,” is an article about a married couple, name Larry and June Shannon. They have a daughter, four years old, name Sally, who is diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia. Therefore, the Shannons are getting help from a research team, to find the perfect bone marrow transplant for Sally. The Shannon couple is also interested in having another child and they are aware of the risks and odds of success. However, a PGD process has to be performed and the couple must undergo an IVF procedure more than once, before the implantation is successful, to be able to produce a healthy full-term baby.
Another serious impact would be the possibility that the state would be mandating coverage for a treatment that offers minimal success of a live birth while at the same time putting the health of these women at risk. For example, women receiving fertility treatments are at risk for ovarian hyperstimulation, adnexal torsion (ovarian twisting), and increased risk of ovarian cancer (IVF-Infertility.com, 2006). In addition, these women are faced with a greater chance of multiple pregnancy, which carries with it its own set of risks to the mother as well as to potential offspring. Also, the risks associated with IVF may outweigh the live birth rate of only 1.9 % to women over the age of 45 who undergo ART (SART, 2003). Furthermore, while women are faced with health risks from infertility treatments, they
Embryonic stems are a controversial topic with morals and ethical issues. For embryonic stem cells to work you must destroy the early embryo. This in some people's eyes is destroying potential life in the embryo. There are some that believe that life begins in the blastula that has not embedded into the uterus wall. For life to occur the cell must be embedded. Religion plays a factor in the ethical dilemma in the topic because they believe it is alive and all life is precious. Stem cells can be used to heal people so they do not have to suffer. They can be used for damages to the spinal cord which is huge because the spinal cord does not heal. There are countless uses for stem cells but it all goes back to the ethical dilemma which is stem
The first child to ever be from using test tube techniques happened in the late 1970’s. Although many have applauded this new type of technology, there is an ethical issue on whether or not embryos should be created in test-tube knowing that fact that many are not implanted and have human development. “Octo-Mom” is a classic case that may have changed many people’s perception when it comes to in-vitro fertilization. Many felt that it was ethically wrong for her doctor to conduct that type of procedure to a woman who will not have the ability to provide adequate care for the well-being of her children who may have health issues.
This brings about many ethical questions and moral concerns. The practice that likely incites the most controversy in selective abortion is sex selective reduction. As technology has advanced, the availability of ultrasound technology has provided practitioners with the ability to identify many fetal characteristics, one of which is gender (Higgins, 2016). Sex-selective reduction mirrors the practice of so called “gendercide” that occurs in countries such as China and India. In these countries sex selective abortion is used to create a population that is predominantly male. To American’s these methods may seem inhumane, and there are many organizations in the US and around the world attempting to stop gender specific abortion. What many Americans probably do not realize is these practices occur in the United States as well, and they have for a long time. While these methods are considered legal in the United States, the ethical implications of aborting fetuses based on sex creates an entirely new concern. The practice of selective abortion in general has created a number of ethical questions for society, and those practicing in the medical
The principles of ethics can assist in finding a middle ground on reproductive technologies by forcing the healthcare provider to consider first the patient and their well-being above all else, yet keeping in consideration the benefits and morality of the care they are giving. More often than not, there are more than two sides to every argument, especially when it comes to the latest reproductive technologies. “To obtain justifiable resolutions of these
Reproductive technology has come a long way in the last twenty years and continues to make expansive advances. The question "where do babies come from" is becoming harder and harder to answer. The response used to sound something like "when a man and a woman love each other very much…" now with in vitro fertilization, fertility drugs, and sperm/egg donors as well as future advances the answer will take on a new twist "…they go to see a doctor and look through a catalog to pick what kind of baby they want."
When I was a child, the world was so different to me than how it is now. When I was a child, I believed many things that aren't true anymore. One of these things was baby making. I though that babies were made from G-d. I though that when a women reached a certain age either G-d would giver her a child or would wait. I thought this happened once a woman got married. Than after having the baby for nine months, the child would come out of the mother’s belly button. This is obviously not at all how baby making works, however the real topic does not need to be discussed. The point of the matter is that when I was younger I believed a lot of things that simply weren’t true. This was because I did not know any better. This is like Jim believing
Our society is filled with numerous ethical dilemmas. We are consistently bombarded with ethical issues daily. At times, these ethical dilemmas are virtually impossible to unravel. I believe the topic of abortion is one of the most difficult and controversial issues in today’s society. It is also the one people are most passionate about as it continues to be scrutinized by two groups, holding fast to different perspectives; Pro-Life versus Pro-Choice.
Jennifer Rosenberg on about.com (n.d.), had stated, “On July 254, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first successful ‘test-tube’ baby was born in Great Britain.” This was advancement in the medical history for women everywhere who had difficulty getting pregnant; this medical breakthrough, known as In-vitro fertilization, or IVF, since Louise Joy Brown’s birth had only grown in ease and the amount of people that use this technology is at an all-time high. The CDC (2014) stated on their website that, “Number of women ages 15-44 who have ever used infertility services: 7.4 million.” This is a massive number of people that use this service. In-vitro fertilization’s advancement in medical technology allows people to have children despite
Typically, the issue of abortion in the United States has been one that has courted controversy and created a public, political, and moral divide. While some feel that abortion should be illegal, others feel it should be restricted. Still others feel it should be legal and freely accessed. Although there are many ethical phases which originate from the application of reproduction control in women’s health, the main issues that raise ethical problems following the development of assisted reproduction techniques are: the right to procreate or reproduce. Induce abortion raises ethical issues related to the rights of women versus the rights
associated with the use of advanced assisted reproductive technology (Teays&Purdy, 2001, Bioethics,Justice,&Health Care,p.648).Currently, the number of in vitro fertilization procedures that can be performed by 100 heath-care workers is about 1,000 per year. Any implication of medical and laboratory procedures that could improve results would decrease the number of healthcare workers needed and ultimately lower the cost per procedure (Teays&Purdy, 2001, Bioethics,Justice,&Health Care,p648).
Morals and ethics are entirely based upon outside influence, therefore making the latter the deciding factor in not only moral and ethical decision, but all decisions. Leaving the womb, the brain is a sponge, empty and void of any knowledge of morals or ethics, filled with the craving of life, and maybe food. From whatever point in which infants can understand emotion and care, is when they begin to become influenced by, their parents. They are around the infant nearly 24 hours a day, and all human behavior that is observed, is from them. It is often said that children resemble their parents, not only visually, but mentally, namely due to them being the only example available, in most cases.
It is assumed by most that we will all be able to grow up, fall in love, get married, and then have children of our own. This is not the lifestyle that all people choose, but it is still the view accepted by the majority of society. What happens when the unthinkable occurs and a happily married couple is unable to get pregnant? This is a reality for 7.1%, or 2.8 million, of the married couples in the United States (Lenox, 1999). Today, there are many people all over the world that decide to use fertility treatments to help them conceive a child, and this often leads to the birth of twins, triplets, or even higher order multiples. There are many risk factors that are involved in this type of
increasingly abortion debate. The articial womb will improve undoubtedly the lives of some women, especially in