Malta traditionally enjoys a Roman Catholic Society, with the official religion of the country being cited in the second article of the constitution. Recently the government proposed to legislate to regulate human reproductive technology, in particular In Vitro Fertilization, which has been practiced for over two decades without controlling legislation. A Parliamentary Committee for social affairs was set up to study the situation inviting most stakeholders. The arguments gravitated mostly on issues of the status of the embryo and (...) the media played a considerable role. At the end of the discussion the Archbishop made a statement which pointed out that IVF involves destruction of embryos and the process stopped. This article examines what caused the deterioration of the process and points favourably towards a way forward within the context of a Catholic Country. (shrink)

In vitro fertilization and the risk of birth and developmental defects - facts and fictions Poland is being swept by a wave of discussions on various aspects of IVF application. Scientists of various disciplines are getting involved in these discussions as opponents to this form of procreation. Referring to research carried out all over the world, they demonstrate that children born thanks to the in vitro procedure are significantly more susceptible to all sorts of disease. The author, (...) surveying available research data, shows that, in reality, the worse health of in vitro-conceived children deals with a narrow number of well-identified disorders and in most cases is of correlative, not causative nature. The main reason for the weaker health of these children is often connected with the advanced age of the parents who choose IVF and their health condition, as compared to those who become parents in a natural way. (shrink)

Si, depuis quelques dizaines d'années, la médecine de la reproduction s'est considérablement développée pour venir en aide aux couples confrontés à l'impossibilité de concevoir naturellement un enfant, c'est généralement avec l'objectif initial de favoriser une conception avec les gamètes du couple. Le développement successif de l' " Insémination Artificielle " et de la " Fécondation in Vitro " a néanmoins permis dans le même temps de faire émerger différentes possibilités alternatives de conception, en transgressant notamment le principe de la (...) filiation biologique. Un couple peut aujourd'hui concevoir un enfant avec d'autres gamètes que les siens et même envisager l'accueil d'un embryon conçu par un autre couple. Dans ces situations, la question de la conciliation des intérêts des différents acteurs se pose. En optant pour la règle de l'anonymat des dons qui prive l'enfant de toute information sur le donneur, certaines législations semblent considérer que ce principe allie au mieux ces intérêts. Pourtant non seulement la demande croissante de levée de l'anonymat formulée par les enfants issus de l'assistance médicale à la procréation fragilise ce choix de société mais certains pays ont devancé ce voeu en choisissant la transparence génétique. Cet ouvrage est le fruit de riches débats et réflexions échangés entre juristes, médecins, psychanalystes et sociologues, lors du premier Workshop du Réseau Universitaire International de Bioéthique. Adoptant une approche comparative, les articles rassemblés examinent la manière dont sont organisées, dans seize pays de cultures différentes, les pratiques et les conséquences d'un anonymat absolu, relatif, voire inexistant. En dépit d'une diversité de systèmes, un constat unanime ressort : la question de la levée de l'anonymat se pose partout avec acuité. La réponse, elle, réunit ou divise. Mais peut-il en être autrement sur un sujet qui touche aux perceptions sociales de l'identité de la personne, de la filiation ou de la " parentalité "? Créé en 2007, le Réseau Universitaire International de Bioéthique a pour objectif de promouvoir la recherche universitaire en rapprochant des chercheurs, de pays et, de cultures différents, spécialistes des questions liées aux pratiques biomédicales. Partant d'une approche croisée des différents systèmes juridiques, les travaux de ce réseau analysent les choix sociaux en matière biomédicale à travers les prismes de l'éthique, de l'anthropologie, la philosophie ou la sociologie. Ils veulent ainsi contribuer à la réflexion internationale sur la régulation des pratiques biomédicales et, incidemment, sur la conciliation entre les diversités culturelles et un certain universalisme, terreau d'une harmonisation du droit. Cette nouvelle collection sera donc un outil indispensable pour toute personne en quête d'une compréhension des enjeux sociaux de la bioéthique. (shrink)

In-vitro fertilization is becoming a pressing issue in contemporary societies. The article considers it starting form the Polish debate but takes up its broader anthropological an ethical aspects. Dealing with the latter, it also employs some acute remarks from Dignitas Personae. Finally it considers an approach to in vitro against the background of European Convention on Bioethics. In its conclusion the paper offers a balanced pro-life stance, albeit critical of in vitro.

What role should legislation or policy play in avoiding the complications of in-vitro fertilization? In this article, we focus on single versus double embryo transfer, and assess three arguments in favour of mandatory single embryo transfer: risks to the mother, risks to resultant children, and costs to society. We highlight significant ethical concerns about each of these. Reproductive autonomy and non-paternalism are strong enough to outweigh the health concerns for the woman. Complications due to non-identity cast doubt on (...) the extent to which children are harmed. Twinning may offer an overall benefit rather than burden to society. Finally, including the future health costs for children in reproductive policy is inconsistent with other decisions. We conclude that mandatory single embryo transfer is not justified and that a number of countries should reconsider their current embryo transfer policy. (shrink)

Reproductive health technology allows married couples who experience infertility to have a child through assisted reproductive technology (ART), such as the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) process. The transfer of the extracted embryo to the woman’s womb is called surrogacy technology (gestational surrogacy). The legality of the practice of surrogacy is still questionable, both on a national and international level. This research discussed the legality of surrogacy in some religious countries, focusing on Indonesia. This research used normative juridical research methods (...) or literature review through a comparative religion-legal approach. This study indicated that most do not have a specific legal instrument regarding surrogacy practice. International law also does not have a standard legal instrument regarding the legality of surrogacy. Legality is determined by each religious country’s national laws and customs. For example, Indonesian law prohibits this practice implicitly under Law No. 36 of 2009 concerning health. The United Kingdom legalised surrogacy through the Surrogacy Agreement Act 1985, which was amended to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act 2008, Greece through the Greek Legislation Law 3089/2002 and Law 3305/2005, and India through the 2019 Surrogacy Regulation Bill. Those countries have their limitations and characteristics that rule surrogacy. Surrogacy is indeed a technological advancement in the health sector. However, for countries that are influenced much by religion, technological advances sometimes conflict with the culture and the belief that has long been followed by most of the population. For Indonesia, the largest of Sunni Islam ruled surrogacy against the law. Next, Iran, as a Shia Islam country, ruled that surrogacy is a legal action.Contribution: The research provided information and knowledge regarding the different settings of surrogacy practice. Most religious countries bravely rejected or put strict limits on the practice of surrogacy. (shrink)

In vitro embryology not only makes possible the growing of human tissue to remedy infertility but also for many other experimental purposes. This paper examines the ethical issues involved in such work and outlines the circumstances in which such work is morally permissible and those in which it is not.

Debate has raged in Canada recently over whether in vitro fertilization should be funded through public health insurance. Such a move would require that the provinces classify IVF as a medically necessary service. In this paper, I defend the position I have taken publicly—especially in Ontario, my own province—that IVF is not medically necessary. I contend that, by funding IVF on grounds of medical necessity, governments like Ontario's violate their commitments to equality and fairness, and cause harm. They (...) do the last by suggesting that the lives of people who forgo procreation, and perhaps have children in other ways, will be stunted. (shrink)

In vitro fertilization with reception of oocytes from partners allows lesbian mothers to share biological motherhood. The gestational mother receives an egg from her partner who becomes the genetic mother. This article examines the ethics of IVF with ROPA with a focus on the welfare of the woman and the resulting child, on whether ROPA qualifies as a “legitimate” medical therapy that falls within the goals of medicine, and on the meaning and value attributed to a biologically shared (...) bond between parents and child. We also contrast IVF with ROPA with egg donor IVF for heterosexual couples and intrafamilial live uterus transplantation with IVF, and show how Swedish legislation makes certain ways of sharing biological bonds out of place. In Sweden, IVF with ROPA is illegal, egg donor IVF for heterosexual couples is allowed and practiced as is sperm donor IVF for lesbians, and live uterus transplantation is performed within a research project. But is ROPA really ethically more problematic than these other cases? The article argues that IVF with ROPA gives rise to fewer ethical questions than does live uterus transplantation with IVF and, in some cases, egg donor IVF. (shrink)

The risks associated with the techniques of medically assisted procreation (MAP) rapidly became well-known, and in such a short space of time that no biomedical domain remained untouched by the great deal of thinking and the expression of a multitude of opinions it provoked. MAP is evolving between two poles: quality/misuse (even violation) and evidence/fantasy. The ethics will be evoked in the clinical reality from which they spring and where their justification lies. The three objects common to these ethics, the (...) oocyte, the embryo and the child, are illustrated in this context. MAP has as its corollary access to the oocyte, the fertilization of which will take place in vitro. Access to the embryo, on the other hand, enables the clinician, for the purposes of diagnosis [preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), predictive medicine], or even soon for therapeutic purposes (gene therapy) to draw close to a boundary, to trespass beyond which may be seen by humanity to threaten its very origins and integrity: the alienation of the human genome. For the infertile couple, the missing child may take on a dimension of which they would have been unaware, had they not been forced to express their desire. The burden of the imaginary child may, in this way, become a heavier load to bear when, after such desire, he comes into being. MAP puts the goal of normalisation within reach and, in doing so, accentuates the risk of the burden of the attributed representation of the child. On the one hand, MAP offers a tremendous diagnostic and therapeutic potential, while on the other it opens the door to excess and delirium. In this melting pot, ethics, catalysed by this new source of problematics, has discovered a favourite area in which to define and redefine itself. We propose the intervention of ethics on three different levels. Before the elaboration of the law: on first reflection, ethics may influence the responsibilities of the legislator, by taking care that the law does not obscure the biomedical and socioeconomic contexts of MAP and, thereby, also include other related and complementary aspects dealing with the same subject. The secondary discussion of ethics should influence the application of legal protection, by taking into account the rapid technological and social development of MAP, there too, by discussing the whole, rather than the details which will obscure the object. The ethical reflection of the clinician, who is aware of these difficulties, is guided by elements that are specific to his position as a doctor. The cohesion of the team around the clinician and the ethics specialist enables us to develop consensual clinical ethics that are transmissible and therefore teachable. This complex role can, in our view, only be acted out directly in the clinical situation, where the constant, direct relationship with the object of the reflection and the treatment allows ethics to take into account the contingencies of medical practice: we invite the ethics specialist to take part in our clinical activity on a daily basis. (shrink)

For the sake of consistency with settled principles from other theological and ethical questions, there is a need for a Christian reexamination of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Both Old and New Testaments demonstrate that human personal life begins at conception or fertilization. Additionally, the Bible teaches that human beings are persons in the image of God from the very beginning of their existence. Thus, it can be concluded that the embryos created via IVF are persons in God’s (...) image. Applying this to the destruction and freezing of embryos, several limitations or restrictions present themselves—embryos should not be purposefully destroyed or wasted, all embryos ought to be implanted, and embryos should not be frozen. Ultimately, however, due to the immense quantity of embryo wastage, it is concluded that Christians should avoid this form of assisted reproductive technology and consider it a pro-life issue. (shrink)

In the 2008 Instruction Dignitas personae (The Dignity of the Person), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith presented once again the teaching of the Church on in vitro fertilization. Much of this teaching was contained in the earlier Instruction Donum vitae (The Gift of Life, 1987), but the new document brings the teaching of the Church up to date. Because the teaching is not accepted in the secular scientific community and is often unknown in the Catholic (...) community, this article explores the process of IVF, the view of the Church concerning it, and the fundamental principles underlying the Church’s teaching. National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 10.4 (Winter 2010): 709–722. (shrink)

In the medical-technological practice of in vitro fertilization, it is increasingly the couple, rather than an individual patient, that is considered the unit of treatment. This article traces some mechanisms involved in the construction of medical interventions on female bodies as appropriate and effective therapeutic solutions to problems and diagnoses pertaining to male bodies. It traces the transformation of male infertility through shifts in localization and definition of the problem, concomitant reconceptualizations of the techniques involved, redistributions of properties, (...) and specific ways of constructing "success. " It is argued that both the notion of the couple as the patient in cases of male infertility and the claim that IVF techniques are appropriate solutions to this couple's problem simultaneously presuppose and legitimize medical interventions on women's bodies. This double movement is produced by leaving exactly the required material work of physical interventions—and, consequently, the uneven distribution of costs between the sexes—out of scientific accounts of these practices. (shrink)

Fertility treatments raise a range of social and ethical issues regarding self-identity for family, sexual intimacy, and the interests and welfare of potential children. Eggs and sperm are combined to produce fertilized eggs. These eggs are then implanted as embryos and grow into viable fetuses, which are carried by the original mother or a surrogate mother. This artificial form of conception can challenge religious values and family structures. In-vitro fertilization (IVF) can be considered either as a medical miracle (...) or playing with divinity. What obligation do medical professionals have to infertile women and to what extent? The bioethical dilemma of IVF use encompasses different moral issues for all involved in the process. Ethical issues address respect for personal autonomy, access and care, and the duty of the health care provider to be compassionate to persons whose actions and moral values may be different from their own. Health care providers need to impart empathy, understanding and sensitivity towards this unique type of patient population. The conflict for those treating patients who are trying to conceive by IVF includes respect for personal autonomy, nonmaleficence, justice, utility and the ethics of care. As a registered nurse in a postpartum hospital unit, I have seen antepartum and postpartum women involved with this new technology. I have worked with mothers and their partners as they experience different levels of anxiety and hope for the future. There is an underlying psychosocial connection with patients who undergo IVF treatments. The purpose of this article is to explore the ethical use of IVF on older women. Is this type of biotechnolgy being applied for the right reasons and for the best patient population? (shrink)

The views on in vitro fertilization within Russian Orthodox Christian society are diverse. One reason for that variation is the ambiguity found in “The Basis of the Social Concept,” the document issued in 2000 by the Russian Orthodox Church and considered to be the primary guidelines for determining the Church’s stance on bioethics. This essay explores how the treatment of infertility reconciles with the Orthodox Christian faith and what methods of medical assistance for infertility may be appropriate for (...) Orthodox Christians. The focus here is on IVF because it is among the most widely used methods to overcome childlessness, and the permissibility of IVF is the object of disagreement among Orthodox. The article defines criteria that can help to discern what is absolutely wrong and must be avoided from what only falls short of the mark, but not very far, for Orthodox Christians. If treatment of the underlying causes of infertility has failed or promises no hope and a husband and a wife do not feel able to carry the Cross of infertility, then from pastoral dispensation they might be blessed to use ethically acceptable variants of IVF. IVF has many variants that are different in their spiritual influence on a person. Orthodox Christians pursuing IVF should seek spiritual guidance and a blessing to pursue IVF. They must not form more embryos than will be transferred in the same cycle. Freezing, discarding, or reduction of embryos is forbidden. Infertile couples ought to use only their reproductive cells. The use of donor gametes is unacceptable. Any embryo formed ought to be transferred into the wife’s womb, and the use of surrogates is impermissible. Only a husband and wife who are able to maintain their marital union and where the wife is still of childbearing age should be blessed to use IVF. (shrink)

Objective : Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has been utilized by assisted reproductive technology (ART) to genetically screen embryos before placement in the uterus. However, many objections have been raised against the genetic screening of embryos, giving the practice an uncertain ethical, legal, and social status. Our aim was, therefore, to survey the possible presence and compliance to any legislation for PGD in the existing 60 in vitro fertilization (IVF) centres in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries as well (...) as the availability of such a technological service. Methods : The study was performed in the department of biochemistry at King Faisal University between the periods Mar 2006 to Nov 2007. A questionnaire, in the form of a table, was sent to responsible persons of all 60 IVF centres and health authorities in the GCC countries. The collected data about the regulations and guidelines for the PGD program was analyzed using SPSS software package version 12.0 and the level of significance was set at P Results: 18 respondents, 16 IVF centres and 2 health authorities (26.87% of total) participated in the survey. The PGD techniques, mainly FISH analyses, were practiced in three centres in Saudi Arabia and one centre in the UAE. The major provider of PGD was King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh where more than 300 PGD tests had been performed. Whilst some regulations and guidelines have been introduced to IVF centres in all GCC countries, their implementations were left to the discretion of the treating centre. Conclusions : PGD services in the GCC countries were under-utilized due to the high cost of tests, the sophisticated technology involved and the poor returns of the investment. As a result of some deficiencies in the legislations which regulated PGD, the medical teams involved often faced difficulties on what rights to exercise in various PGD cases. (shrink)

In vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy have enabled many to achieve their dreams of parenthood. With a turnover of $500 million, reproductive tourism in India has helped transform the country into a “global baby factory.” However, as the surrogacy industry grew, so did concerns of women’s exploitation, commodification of motherhood, and human rights violations. In an effort to prevent women from being exploited, the Indian government had taken successive administrative measures to regulate surrogacy. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 (...) and Assisted Reproductive Technologies Bill 2008 were introduced in the Parliament to regulate various aspects of surrogacy arrangements. Yet, it was not until 25 January 2022, that the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 went into effect. The Act does, however, leave certain important points unaddressed. The article claims that the legislation’s purposeful exclusion of the LGBTQ population and emphasis on “familial altruism” stinks of inequity and moral conservatism. It also delineates the mechanics of altruistic surrogacy by examining documents that illustrate how the connections between money and morality are framed via the framing of altruism. The article therefore demands that a comprehensive dialogue must be held considering the socio-economic realities of Indian society, or else India risks enacting yet another law that cannot be implemented or that society dislikes. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 14.1 (2004) 97-114 [Access article in PDF] Stem Cell Research in the U.S. after the President's Speech of August 2001 Cynthia B. Cohen On 9 August 2001, in a nationally televised speech, President Bush addressed the contentious question of whether to provide federal funds for human embryonic stem cell research (White House 2001).1 This research involves taking the primordial cells found in embryos and (...) transforming them into certain specialized cells, such as those of the heart, nerves, and muscles, with the ultimate goal of transferring these cells into patients to repair damaged cells and tissues. In his remarks, the President authorized funding for research only on stem cells already harvested from remaining embryos at in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers as of 9 August 2001, the date of the speech. In a "Fact Sheet" about embryonic stem cell research, he added the ethical requirements that (1) the donors of embryos gave informed consent to the derivation of stem cells from their embryos, (2) the embryos were created solely for reproductive purposes, and (3) no financial inducements were given to the embryo donors. The President also prohibited federally funded research on embryonic stem cells derived from embryos after 9 August 2001, as well as the creation of embryos for research purposes and the cloning of human embryos for both reproductive and research purposes. He did not seek to ban the pursuit of embryonic stem cell research with private funds. "This allows us to explore the promise and potential of stem-cell research without crossing a fundamental moral line by providing taxpayer funding that would sanction or encourage further destruction of embryos," the President stated (White House 2001).The President's speech stirred intense controversy. Many applauded the new policy because it allowed some embryonic stem cell research to proceed, thereby raising hope that treatments might be developed for those suffering from such conditions as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes. Others supported it on grounds that it would discourage the future destruction of embryos in stem cell research. They maintained that although it was wrong to have derived stem cells from embryos, this wrong was no longer remediable and it therefore was justifiable to allow research using such embryos to proceed. Some, however, objected to the new policy because they held that it unduly limited the [End Page 97] number of embryonic stem cells available for federally funded research. Still others opposed it on grounds that it made the federal government complicit in what they took to be the wrongful destruction of human embryos that had taken place prior to 9 August 2001. The President established the President's Council on Bioethics by executive order in November 2001 and charged it, among other tasks, with monitoring stem cell research and recommending guidelines and regulations for biomedical innovations.Questions about the moral status of human embryos have so captured public attention since the President issued his remarks that other significant ethical and policy issues raised about stem cell research inside the Beltway have remained in the shadows. A number of individuals and organizations—legislators, scientists, patient groups, the President's Council on Bioethics, ethicists, religious task forces, and social commentators—have attempted to bring these other issues to legislative and public attention. They also have revisited the more publicly prominent question of what sorts of protections we owe to human embryos. In response, Congress has attempted to address several of these newly emerging issues at hearings and in legislation. I review these efforts, consider developing issues and arguments, and conclude by exploring possible future directions for federal and private sector stem cell policy. The Availability of Embryonic Stem Cell Lines to Federally Funded Researchers President Bush, in developing his stem cell research policy, accepted a distinction between the "derivation" and the "use" of embryos enunciated by the General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services toward the end of the Clinton administration. This distinction was adopted to avoid contravening the Dickey-Wicker Amendment (added... (shrink)

The utilization of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in assisted reproduction has undergone a notable surge since its inception in 1979. Consequently, the demand for well-trained IVF personnel has become crucial to address the expanding technical requirements of this field. However, acquiring specialized technical expertise remains a challenge in various regions and countries, particularly in the Arab Islamic region, frequently playing a pivotal role in the successful implementation of medical technology. Ensuring a proficient workforce of IVF experts requires the provision (...) of practical and comprehensive training opportunities. This work reveals the ethical considerations surrounding the utilization of actual human eggs in IVF training courses and examines potential alternative approaches to meet the training needs in a manner deemed ethically acceptable. We analyzed the bioethical issues of using human eggs in IVF training, considering ethical principles, benefits, and concerns to determine permissibility and contribute to discussions on reproductive technology ethics and the responsible use of human reproductive material. In addition, we shed light on perspectives from Islamic scholarship. In conclusion, utilizing immature eggs in practical IVF training, while ensuring informed consent, is widely deemed acceptable within the ethical framework. However, the crucial necessity of robust oversight, especially in the private sector, cannot be overstated. To address these critical considerations, the initial and fundamental step entails conducting a comprehensive regional survey. Using immature eggs in IVF training seems acceptable, but it is crucial to establish an oversight practice. Organizing a collaborative workshop with stakeholders from both the public and private sectors is a crucial first step in developing this controlled practice. (shrink)

In‐vitro fertilization clinics across the world currently use the body mass index (BMI) to assess risk for and determine access to in‐vitro fertilization (IVF); however, clinics vary widely in both setting specific BMI limits for access to IVF and articulating the reasons for their policies. Given that scholars have begun to question the usefulness of BMI for individual health risk assessment, it is striking that ethicists have not yet systematically evaluated the reasons given for using BMI (...) in assessing individuals' risk in IVF treatments. In this paper, I provide the first systematic analysis of the chief arguments currently offered by IVF programs for using BMI as a criterion for risk assessment. Specifically, I articulate empirical concerns about the success of IVF in high‐BMI patients, practical concerns about the ability of high‐BMI patients to safely undergo procedures associated with IVF, and ethical concerns about the risk‐to‐reward ratio for high‐BMI patients and their potential children. I advance a series of objections to those arguments, using empirical data regarding IVF procedures and analogies with other high‐risk conditions including systemic lupus erythematosus, and science regarding the diagnosis of BMI‐correlated comorbidities such as high blood pressure or diabetes to argue that BMI alone is not a reasonable criterion for risk assessment in IVF; moreover, the usage of BMI may involve unacceptable violations of the bioethical principles of justice and respect for autonomy. Instead, I hold that IVF programs should rely on more precise laboratory and clinical measurements to evaluate risk in IVF. (shrink)

This work sought to carry out a comparative analysis of in vitro fertilization (IVF) vis-à-vis St. Thomas Aquinas’ Natural Law Theory. Both of them emanated from problem of infertility. IVF makes use of artificial insemination for fertilization which is quite contrary to the natural process of sexual reproduction. This work makes use of analytic method to analyse comparatively in vitro fertilization and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Natural Law Theory. Thus, this work conceives that IVF is one (...) of the assisted reproductive technologies in the scientific exploration of genetic engineering and bio-technology which emanated to tackle the problem of genetic inheritance outside marriage. It contravenes the coital or natural reproduction which conforms to St. Thomas Aquinas’ second precept of natural law. Again, IVF is artificial as such it is pruned to many complications. There is no adequate information given by the medical practitioners or providers of this service on the health hazards or risks involve in IVF. In addition, in vitro fertilization makes provision for donor gamete and surrogate motherhood which may have many negative implications both for the couples, off-spring, gestation mother, and society at large. (shrink)

After the typical theological and bioethical questions about in vitro fertilization (IVF) are vetted, there remains a three-dimensional understanding of responsibility that is not typically considered in Christian bioethics. This paper will explore responsibility to the spouses’ loving union, their bodies, and society in order to ascertain the morality of IVF. In a marriage partnership, the spouses’ primary responsibility is to each other. Although in matrimony physical union is essential to marriage, children are not. The second dimension of (...) responsibility focuses on the body—“the temple of God”—and on our responsibility to care for it. This concerns the woman, her husband, and even the newborn. Finally, the third understanding of responsibility leads us to address social concerns, with an emphasis on social dynamics, especially the cost of IVF procedures and how they siphon medical resources away from more urgent human needs in health care and within society. (shrink)

New technology in human reproduction has provoked wide ranging arguments about the desirability and moral justifiability of many of these efforts. Authors of biomedical ethics have ventured into the field to offer the insight of moral theory to these complex moral problems of contemporary life. I believe, however, that the moral theories most widely endorsed today are problematic and that a new approach to ethics is necessary if we are to address the concerns and perspectives identified by feminist theorists in (...) our considerations of such topics. Hence, I propose to look at one particular technique in the growing repertoire of new reproductive technologies, in vitro fertilization, in order to consider the insight which the mainstream approaches to moral theory have offered to this debate, and to see the difference made by a feminist approach to ethics. (shrink)

In vitro fertilization is now a well-established practice in the field of assisted reproduction. In 1995, over 41,000 IVF cycles were done in the United States, at a cost of more than $300 million. The overall success rate has risen to 22.8 deliveries per 100 egg-retrieval procedures. As the field has matured, the attention of policy-makers has shifted from questions about the ethical and legal status of human embryos to concerns about providing access and protecting consumers.Three such concerns (...) have emerged. One is the danger that IVF programs will disseminate misleading information about their success rates in order to attract patients. This problem, however, may be alleviated by the publication in late 1997 of the first of annual national and clinic specific reports, based on randomly audited data, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, and RESOLVE, pursuant to the federal 1992 Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Laboratory Certification Act. (shrink)

Recommandations have been formulated in 1985 with reference to socialist morality and law and as a result of interdisciplinary discussion by the IAME (Interdisciplinary Working Party on Medical Ethics at the GDR Academy of Postgraduate Medical Education) for clinical application of in vitro fertilization and for the use of human oocytes and early embryonic stages.

Infertility presents both medical and public health challenges, with in vitro fertilization (IVF) emerging as a prominent solution, particularly when other alternatives are exhausted. However, IVF treatment raises significant ethical questions that have been under explored in the Ghanaian context. This study aimed to explore ethical constraints and dilemmas in the provision of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in Ghana. A descriptive phenomenological qualitative design was employed. Purposive sampling techniques were used to recruit 12 participants including (...) ART experts from three in vitro fertilization (IVF) centres, ethicists and a legal practitioner. In-depth face-to-face interviews guided by an open-ended interview guide were conducted. Thematic analysis of the interviews was performed to identify major themes. Providing IVF treatment in Ghana raises several ethical issues, including inequitable access due to high costs and limited availability, which favour wealthier individuals and leave marginalized populations with fewer options. There are significant ethical considerations in balancing the potential benefits of successful IVF treatment outcomes against the health risks and emotional tolls on patients. Decisions about the fate of surplus embryos present moral dilemmas, including whether to preserve, donate, or discard them. Differing personal beliefs about the moral status of the embryo further complicate the ethical landscape. Ensuring informed consent is challenging due to the complex medical, ethical, and emotional implications of IVF treatment, potentially leading to compromised consent. Additionally, there are ongoing risks of breaches in confidentiality, given the sensitive nature of reproductive health data and the importance of protecting patient privacy. This study revealed that several ethical dilemmas confront both healthcare providers and couples in the process of IVF. There is an urgent need for the development of clear and uniform regulations to govern the practice of IVF treatment in Ghana, with further attention given to mitigating financial barriers and enhancing support systems for couples considering IVF treatment. (shrink)