Religious attitudes to matters of life (medical ethics)

Question 1

What are the 4 fertility treatments?

Answer 1

1. IVF
2. AID
3. AIH
4. Surrogacy

Question 2

What is IVF?

Answer 2

In vitro fertilisation (in glass)

Question 3

What is the process of IVF?

Answer 3

• egg and sperm collected and brought together in a Petri dish
• fertilisation of egg occurs
• implanted into woman’s womb so a normal pregnancy occurs

Question 4

What is AID/H?

Answer 4

Artificial insemination by donor/husband

Question 5

What is the process of AID/H?

Answer 5

• semen collected to fertilise the egg
• samples placed into woman’s womb, making fertilisation more likely to happen

Question 6

When is AID used?

Answer 6

• husband has no sperm count (infertile)
• husband has genetic disease he doesn’t want to pass
• both female partners

Question 7

When is AIH used?

Answer 7

Husband has low sperm count

Question 8

What is surrogacy?

Answer 8

Another woman carries a pregnancy to full term for a couple

Question 9

What are the **Buddhist **teachings about fertility treatment?

Answer 9

• ahimsa - loving kindness and non-violence to all sentient beings
• all lives are shaped by karma and suffering in this life is from karma
• life exists from conception

Question 10

What are the Buddhist attitudes to fertility treatment?

Answer 10

• having families is a major focus
• fertility treatments as showing compassion
• their predicament as a result of previous karma
• concern over throwing away excess embryos (killing)

Question 11

What are **Christian **teachings about fertility treatments?

Answer 11

• go forth and multiply (Genesis)
• God knows each of us intimately and has set a plan for our life (Old Testament)
• infertility is a call from God to adopt (Roman Catholic teaching)

Question 12

What are the **Christian **attitudes to fertility treatments?

Answer 12

• fertility treatment is God’s gift of medicine and an extension of Jesus’ teachings of love
• Roman Catholics see is as wrong as children should be conceived by a couple during marriage
• some are halfway: accept fertility treatments but see donors materials as adultery

Question 13

What are the Hindu teachings about fertility treatments?

Answer 13

• the householder (grihastha) stage of life should lead to children in a family
• all men come into the world burdened by ancestor debt. The only way to repay this is by fathering a son
• Karma shapes our lifetimes, and we have to face difficulties to repay bad karma from the past

Question 14

What are the Hindui attitudes to fertility treatment?

Answer 14

• Children are important, especially boys
• pressure of having children, and if that means through artificial means, then it is ok
• Levirate marriage (conceiving with a second wife/husband) is accepted, so donor material are accepted
• fertility treatments are seen as compassionate, such as surrogacy

Question 15

What are Islam teachings about fertility treatment?

Answer 15

• Allah gives life to whom he chooses (Qur’an)
• ‘Marriage is my tradition’ (Muhammas pbuh)
• Do not come near adultery or fornication for it is shameful (Qur’an)

Question 16

What are the Muslim attitudes to fertility treatment?

Answer 16

• marriage and having children is a duty
• Allah blesses couples with the gift of children, it is his will if someone is unable to have a child
• Most accept fertility treatments, as it is a gift from Allah
• donor materials are seen as adultery and fornication, so it is wrong

Question 17

What are Jewish teachings about fertility treatment?

Answer 17

• Go forth and multiply (Genesis)
• Do not commit adultery (Exodus)
• There are several stories of women being ‘helped’ to conceive when obviously infertile in the Tenakh, such as 2 Kings 4:14-16

Question 18

What are the Jewish attitudes to fertility treatment?

Answer 18

• Judaism accepts fertility treatments, as long as there are not donor materials
• egg and sperm must be from couple
• donor sperm is considered as adultery (breaks Ten Commandments)
• the mand would have to ‘waste seed’ because the child would not be his

Question 19

What are the Sikh teachings about fertility treatment?

Answer 19

• ‘May you have seven sons’ (traditional wedding blessing)
• Any third person within a marriage is seen as adultery
• God gives life, which is an expression of his will (Guru Granth Sahib)

Question 20

What are the Sikh attitudes to fertility treatment?

Answer 20

• encourages couples to have children
• fertility treatment must not involve donor materials (adultery, which is one of the Four Abstinences)
• fertility treatments as God-given knowledge

Question 21

What is the Human Embryo and Fertilisation Act (1990)?

Answer 21

Set up rules for scientists- show respect to embryonic life by destroying the embryo after 14 days

Question 22

What is embryo research?

Answer 22

Learning about the development of embryos and genetic diseases. The aim is to find cures

Question 23

What is stem cell research?

Answer 23

Embryos have stem cells, that can develop into any part of the human body, so they can be used to grow organs

Question 24

What is genetic engineering?

Answer 24

Modifying the genetic make up of cells to treat hundreds of genetic disorders and diseases

Question 25

What are transfusions?

Answer 25

Usually blood transfusions, where a person would be given blood to replace what has been lost

Question 26

What is transplantation?

Answer 26

Organ transplantation is used when somebody's organ is failing or has failed, so needs to be replaced. Some donate when alive and some donate when dead

Question 27

What is xenotransplantation?

Answer 27

Genetically modifying animals' organs so it can be used for humans

Question 28

What are the Buddhist teachings to maintaining life?

Answer 28

* Buddha gave up his own life to save others * Bodhisattva vow- to help all who need help * Cherish in your hearts boundless goodwill to all beings (Buddha)

Question 29

What are the Buddhist attitudes to maintaining life?

Answer 29

* transfusions and transplants are the individual's choice * good to help others, usually selflessly * concerns about experimenting on embryos (embryos might feel pain or have consciousness) * if it works, it would help many people in the future

Question 30

What are the Christian teachings to maintaining life?

Answer 30

* All life is sacred, and should be respected because it is given by God * Jesus helped others * Love one another (Jesus to his disciples)

Question 31

What are the Christian attitudes to maintaining life?

Answer 31

* embryo research is wrong and against natural law * foetus should be given same respect as a person * all life is sacred * many see the potential benefit in the future (embryos used were discarded anyway, so it is making something good from bad) * cloning is seen as playing God * organ donation and blood transfusion are acts of kindness * Pope Benedict XVI 'free act of good will' agreed to be a donor after death * Jehovah's Witnesses believe in bloodless surgery as they believe the life is in the blood

Question 32

What are the Hindu teachings to maintaining life?

Answer 32

* Hinduism has stories where human body parts are used to help others * All things, including humans, are expressions of Brahman * Daya (compassion) and dana (charity) must be practised by Hindus

Question 33

What are the Hindu attitudes to maintaining life?

Answer 33

* nothing in scriptures which prevents Hindus from being blood or organ donors * fits well with duties and efforts to attain moksa * cloning is not seen as creating souls, so it is ok * embryo research uses live embryos, so it is wrong as it experiments on human life

Question 34

What are the Muslim teachings to maintaining life?

Answer 34

* Whoever saves a life, it would be as if he has saved the life of all people (Qur'an) * Shari'ah law prohibits the mutilation of a body * Do not take life- which Allah has made sacred- except for just cause (Qur'an)

Question 35

What are the Muslim attitudes to maintaining life?

Answer 35

* embryo research is wrong (it is alive so it is sacred) * if the embryo is from miscarriage or an abortion, then it is acceptable for the benefit of others * cloning is playing God and shirk (blasphemy) * should not cut up dead bodies * transplants are saving lives, so Shari'ah law allows it as lesser of two evils * blood transfusion helps others, so is encouraged

Question 36

What are the Jewish teachings to maintaining life?

Answer 36

* If one is in the position to be able to donate an organ to save another's life, it is obligatory to do so (Rabbi Moses Tendler) * A basic principle of Jewish ethics is the infinite worth of a human being * It is forbidden to mutilate a body, and the whole body must be buried

Question 37

What are the Jewish attitudes to maintaining life?

Answer 37

* genetic engineering is acceptable if it is to get rid of disease, but not to improve G-d's creation (blasphemy) * live embryo research is wrong * obligation to preserve human life, so transplants and transfusions are accepted * heart transplants are not acceptable (as the time between certified death and removal of heart is uncelar, so the removal could have caused the death)

Question 38

What are the Sikh teachings to maintaining life?

Answer 38

* Sewa - service to others as an act of worship * Life begins at conception, and is given by God * Caring for the sick has been part of Sikhism from the earliest days of the faith

Question 39

What are the Sikh attitudes to maintaining life?

Answer 39

* embryo experiments are wrong because life begins at conception * genetic engineering is accepted where it prevents disease, but not improving what God created * cloning could either be helpful or against God * transplants and transfusions both help others * body is just a waste after death, so can be used to help others instead * God gave humans this knowledge, so it is wrong not to use it