Unit 2

Question 0

What is artificial insemination by husband?

Answer 0

When a woman is made pregnant by the sperm of her husband, but through not having sexual relationships with him.

Question 1

What is artificial insemination?

Answer 1

When sperm is medically inserted into the vagina to assist pregnancy

Question 2

What is artificial insemination by donor?

Answer 2

When a woman is made pregnant by the sperm of a man other than her partner, but not through having sexual relationships with him.

Question 3

Give 3 reasons as to why people might need to use AI?

Answer 3

1. They can’t conceive natural due to lifestyle issues ( smoking, excessive alcohol consumption etc) these lower fertility.
2. If two men or women or in a relationship they obviously can’t have a one sperm and one egg.
3. If the husband or male partner has a genetic condition he doesn’t want to pass on eg. HIV or Huntingtons.

Question 4

Give three examples of fertility treatments.

Answer 4

Artificial insemination
Ivf
Surrogacy

Question 5

What are Christians responses to artificial insemination? Give 4 viewpoints.

Answer 5

1. Many Christians would say that people do not have a right to have their own children but they are a gift from God and only God can make new life. ( All forms of AI are wrong)
2. Some Christians believe that new life should be the fruit of marriage created within the loving relationship of the man and wife. They believe technology shouldn’t be used when it comes to making a new life.
3. Some Christians think you can use medical technology for AIH only, because it helps the couple have the child they wish for.
4. Christians may argue that donor sperm could be used in certain circumstances, for instance if the husband doesn’t want to pass on an inherited degenerative disease. Christians say this is the most loving thing to do.

Question 6

What is IVF?

Answer 6

IVF is a medical procedure for helping infertile couples. It doesn’t involve having sex but conception occurs via sperm and egg being placed in a test tube.

Question 7

How is IVF carried out?

Answer 7

The eggs are extracted and fertilised with the extracted sperm from the male. It is allowed to produce and embryo and then is implanted into the womb of the mother.

Question 8

Who was the first test tube baby?

Answer 8

Louise brown.

Question 9

Arguments for IVF

Answer 9

Couples should have a right to try for children. Human beings are made with the ability to reproduce. It is due to some illness that they cannot. This should be able to overcome.

Infertility is like an illness it causes depression so couples should revive help. After all Jesus was a healer and ended peoples suffering. Christian love means showing people compassion and helping them.

There is no destroying of embryos during IVF , they only try to implant them.

Question 10

Arguments against IVF

Answer 10

Children are a gift from and not something people have a right to have. IVF encourages the idea that children are something we have a right to have like an object.

IVF involves the destruction of new life- both the stored and frozen embryos that are not used are destroyed. IVF involves killing and this is against gods law.

New life should come only from natural love making and not scientific processes.

There are many children in need of adoption. People who can’t have children naturally should adopt these who don’t have loving parents of their own.

Question 11

In what year did the Anglican Church state that the use of embryos up until 14 days is acceptable so IVF is permissible?

Answer 11

1984

Question 12

What is a surrogate mother?

Answer 12

A woman who has a baby for another woman.

Question 13

Define surrogacy

Answer 13

A form of fertility treatment in which a woman’s egg is fertilised artificially by another woman’s partner or an embryo from another couple is created through IVF and then implanted into the ‘host’ woman. The woman carries the baby throughout pregnancy and gives it to the other couple after birth.

Question 14

Why might some women choose a surrogacy mother?

Answer 14

Some women are physically unable to carry their own babies, however they still desire one which is biologically related to them.

Question 15

Can you pay someone to become a surrogate mother?

Answer 15

No it is illegal, you can only pay expenses eg. Food for a healthy diet paying for maternity clothing etc.

Question 16

Give an example of surrogacy in the bible.

Answer 16

In genesis, when Abraham and Sarah wanted a child. They were too old and Abraham had a child with her servant Hager.

Question 17

Give responses in favour of surrogacy

Answer 17

Some Christians believe it is a loving thing to do.

They believe that responding to the love gives them should involve loving responses to others. And it is good if you are willing to share this gift: the ability of having children.

The bible contains examples of surrogacy in genesis therefore Christians will support it because it is gods teaching they are following because they believe he’d only teach good things.

Question 18

Give responses against surrogacy

Answer 18

It involves another person in the relationship between the married couple.

It undermines the right of a child to be conceived carried in the womb, born and brought up within the marriage. This is important so that the child can discover it’s own identity and achieve it’s own development.

The child is not an object to be handed over.

Question 19

Give a brief overview of how surrogacy works.

Answer 19

Woman’s egg and mans sperm are implanted into the surrogates womb and she carries the baby, gives birth and the biological parents must adopt the child in order to become the legal guardians.

Question 20

Define cloning

Answer 20

The scientific method by which animals or plants can be created which have exactly the same genetic makeup as the original because the DNA of the original is used.

Question 21

What are the two types of genetic engineering and what are they?

Answer 21

Embryonic stem cell cloning: the use of the new technology to create new genetically identical life. This uses embryonic stem cells taken from human embryos.

Gene therapy: the use of the technology to develop new tissue cells that could be used to treat diseases. This uses adult stem cells.

Question 22

How is an animal cloned?

Answer 22

A nucleus from a body cell is put into another empty egg cell , the nucleus fuses with the denucleated egg and that is a clone and then implanted into a surrogate mothers womb.

Question 23

In what year did the Human Fertilisation Act legalise experiment on human embryos of up to 14 days development to research on?

Answer 23

1990

Question 24

Why did they legalise this embryo research?

Answer 24

To research into infertility, certain genetic diseases, and miscarriages.

Question 25

What happens to the embryo after it has been researched on?

Answer 25

It must be destroyed

Question 26

Where do you get the spare embryos for research from?

Answer 26

Spares from IVF treatment

Question 27

What is a hybrid embryo?

and why would scientists use this?

Answer 27

A hybrid embryo is a mixture of both human and animal tissue. Some scientists want to place human DNA in animal eggs. This result would be mostly human and partly animal.

Because there is a shortage of human eggs available for research, and animal eggs are easier to come by also to develop cures for diseases like Parkinson’s

Question 28

What does the uk law say about hybrid embryos?

Answer 28

Uk law doesn’t allow such hybrids to be grown into human beings and the scientists say they are only interested in the cells not any creature that will come out of this.

Question 29

Arguments against embryo research

Answer 29

An embryo is a human which must be valued as highly as a human life and protected from experimentation. It should be treated as a sacred life, made by god and not something use and then disposed of. It is destruction of life- murder.

Embryo is an innocent human and taking the life away is sinful. The sixth commandment is do not murder.

The bible encourages Christians to care for others. They should love one another, look after those who are weak and cannot protect themselves.

Question 30

Arguments for embryo research

Answer 30

The human embryo is important but not the same as the born human being. So research upto 14 days is acceptable.

Embryo research could bring medical cures which will help those who are suffering from terrible diseases.

Question 31

Arguments against hybrid embryos

Answer 31

It is wrong to tamper with gods plan for nature. The idea of an animal- human hybrid seems to go against the natural order found in genesis with animals and humans created as different creatures.

According to the bible, god made humans in his own image and so to mix human with animal seems to degrade the image of god.

Question 32

Define reproductive cloning

Answer 32

The use of cloning techniques to produce a baby

Question 33

Define therapeutic cloning

Answer 33

Another term for stem cell cloning

Question 34

Give two arguments against AID

Answer 34

Children are a blessing from god and it is wrong to create a child artificially. It goes against the laws of nature

It introduces a third person into the marriage and this can cause problems in the marriage.

Question 35

Give two arguments in favour of AID

Answer 35

If husband doesn’t want to pass a disease

If couple are in a same sex relationship

Question 36

Up to how many days can an embryo be experimented on? Why is this the cut off point?

Answer 36

Up to 14 days

It’s when the primitive steak forms this means the embryo can experience pain.

Question 37

What are the 2 main types of cloning?

Answer 37

Therapeutic

Reproductive

Question 38

Explain Christian views about saviour siblings

Answer 38

Christians believe that another child can be created only to help the other sibling if she or he is suffering from a disease or illness where bone marrow or tissues or organs are needed. Christians also believe that it is not acceptable to choose the desired characteristics of their child , it is wrong if that they are moulding a perfect child not helping a sibling. The term used is slippery slope
Other Christians believe that having a saviour sibling is a loving thing to do and you’re showing compassion. Eg Jesus healed the sick. You’re putting agape into practice.

Question 39

What is somatic cell therapy?

Answer 39

It is gene therapy used to treat diseases using adult stem cells.

Question 40

3 Arguments against designer babies

Answer 40

All life is sacred from conception and should never be destroyed. The wrong featured embryos are destroyed.

New life should be accepted and loved in all forms

Designer babies may lead to the rich becoming a better human species while the poor won’t be able to afford the improvements.

Question 41

Give two arguments for designer babies

Answer 41

Some Christians argue that designer babies are morally acceptable when it comes to ensuring the babies are healthy and don’t have a disease it’s kind and loving not to pass it on.

The suffering of parents who give birth to one child after another who will die at a very early age is appalling. They do not get to watch their children grow up.

Question 42

Why are Christians opposed to reproductive cloning?

Answer 42

It involves the destruction of an embryo and life is sacred from the moment of conception
Babies should be created out of love not cloning technology
Could lead to rich being able to clone themselves
Poor people could be seen as a second class

Question 43

Why are Christians in favour of therapeutic cloning

Answer 43

Leads to new treatments and curing diseases such as motor neurone disease
Potential of offering infertile couples a chance to have a cloned child