Bioethics Flashcards
What is infertiltiy?
When a couple cannot conceive a child naturally.
What does IVF stand for?
In Vitro Fertilisation
What are alternatives to infertility?
- Natural methods like eating a nutritious diet and avoiding alcohol
- Medicine like fertility drugs
- Surgery if there is a blocked fallopian tube or some other internal problem. Or an ovary transplant.
- Assisted conception is the most popular method which includes IVF, IUI also known as artificial insemination.
What is the success rate of IVF?
Only 25 percent so often extra embryos are created
Issues with spare embryos?
Many embryos are created to increase the woman’s chance of getting pregnant as doctors choose to healthiest and remove the others
The spares are then destroyed, frozen for up to 14 days or donated to medical research. Christians see this as murder a they believe life begins at conception.
What does IVF involve?
Taking a human egg and sperm being brought together and fertilised in a test tube or a petri dish by doctors.
If the egg is fertilized the doctors will place the embryo in the woman’s uterus, where it will grow and develop as usual
Issues with IVF?
- Christians see the use of sperm as a third party and adultery
- Higher possibility of multiple births, increasing the risk of miscarriages and premature babies
- The creation of designer babies
- IVF babies could have identity issues and want to meet their biological parents or have siblings across the country or be created as a saviour sibling
- The donor sperm can be used to correct genetic disease leading to three parents being vital to the child’s creation.
- Allows homosexual couples to have children which Christians dislike
What does HFEA do?
M.A.R.L
It MONITORS clinics that carry out IVF procedures
They provide relevant ADVICE and information to patients, doctors and clinics
They REGULATE the developments in human reproductive technology.
Monitors LEGISLATION on reproductive technology
What does HFEA stand for?
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority - Government Org
Advantages of IVF
- Allows everyone to have a child as it is there right and fulfils God’s plan, helping infertile couples, single people and homosexuals
- Using embryos for research and experimentation help doctors have a greater understanding of treating diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
- Saviour siblings can be made to donate organs
What is surrogacy?
When an embryo is placed in the uterus of a host mother.
The surrogates eggs may have been used ( Traditional Surrogacy ) or eggs may have been implanted in the surrogate with no genetic link. ( Gestational Surrogacy )
What are the benefits of having legislation around surrogacy?
( E.g In California )
- Contract guarantees payment, that the couple receives payment, protection of the surrogate and the couple
- Maintains the rights of the couple to have the children
- Allows homosexual couples, single people and heterosexual couples the chance to have a family
What are the benefits of not having legislation around surrogacy?
- Its an act of selfless Christian love / sacrificial love
- Babies cold become a commodity
- Issues regarding identify
- Women could become a surrogate as a profession
What is the Catholic churches’ attitude to embryo experimentation?
They are against this as they believe the embryo is a life, It must be protected and cared for like any other human being.
Absolutists in its disklike of IVF, IUI and Surrogacy.
Who was the first IVF baby and when?
Louise Brown - 1978
