Question

Identify an ethical issue surrounding reproductive issues highlighted in the media or that has occurred at your facility. Provide details surrounding the ethical issue. Provide a discussion of the different perspectives present in the case and identify a possible solution and an alternative solution to the ethical dilemma.

Answer 1

INFERTILITY: When a women fails to get pregnant after a year of unprotected sexual intercourse, or after a 6 months if the woman is over 35. This also includes being unable to carry a pregnancy to live birth.

The inability to have a child ( infertility)  is a true burden for most of the couples and is a global medico-socio-cultural problem with gender-based suffering. Today, to about 15% of couples in the United States facing this threat after one or more year of sexual relations. Also, couples spend many thousands of dollars on infertility to increase their chances of having a child in their life. The infertility rate has been increasing over the past decade and also have solutions to deal with this reproductive issues.

There are several reproductive technologies which are currently in use such as

a) fertility drugs b) artificial insemination c) in-vitro filtration (IVF) d) surrogacy e) gamete intrafallopian transfer ( GIFT)  f) zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) g) intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The conventional form of methods to treat infertility does not have any ethical issues but, assisted reproductive technology (ART), which means techniques that increases the likelihood of having a child has raised a number of concerns worldwide. These includes

MULTIPLE PREGNANCIES: In some cases of IVF, several fertilized eggs are transferred to the womb of the mother increases the chances of conception and  results in multiple  pregnancies. It also increases the risk of premature birth, infant health problems and a low birth weight babies.

EMBRYOs: Clinics freeze additional fertilized eggs ( not implanted) for future attempts. People need to consider what to do with these eggs in case of death, divorce or in case if the clinic is failed to contact them.

DONOR EGG/ SPERM OF SURROGACY: Rights and responsibilities defined for both the surrogate and the couple for the future child.

Human perspective on infertility and their technological considerations is different from one another. Some define it as a curse or some find it new technologies as blessings. Some think this new technologies are facing challenges because they held moral, ethical and religious values, particularly those values that concern the family and relationships among its members. Surrogacy and in-vitro filtration is considered to be the most performed methods for those mothers with infertility. It is also a safe method to practice except some ethical dilemmas. Surrogacy in terms of financial gain is morally wrong to most people. There is a real danger that it would lead to the exploitation of poorer women.

To conclude, we have to consider the future of society and it is clear that soon this technology will be common in place because of increased infertility rate in all over the world.