Beginning of life Flashcards
When thinking about who should be parents, what ethical arguments arise?
Rights and responsibilities of reproduction
The fertility paradox: regulation, access and equity (those who find it more difficult to conceive and get support go through more scrutiny where as those who conceive on their own are free to do so)
Autonomy versus non-maleficence to future child
Societal interference, social justice, social engineering
Assisted reproduction techniques (7)
Artificial insemination – using donor or partner sperm
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) – fertilise gametes outside the body then inserting it again
Gamete donation – select a sperm and inject it into the egg
Embryo donation
Surrogacy
Use of artificial gametes
Reproductive cloning
What opportunities has assisted reproduction given people?
A treatment for infertility
Single and same sex parents
Prevention of inherited conditions
Fertility preservation
What concerns are there about the possible uses of assisted reproduction?
Sex selection - family balancing - choosing gender of next child
Designer babies
The reproduction industry
Relative infertility
Maybe a couple’s chances of conceiving are poorer than those around them
Ethical questions the NHS has to answer regarding treatments?
Who should be offered treatment?
What treatment should be offered?
How should this be funded?
What is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis?
Process of screening out embryos that carry life threatening conditions before they are implanted
What is a saviour sibling?
When parents have a child by selective IVF as a potential source of donor organs or cells for an existing brother or sister with a life-threatening medical condition.
Arguments against sex selection
Undermines the status of women - many countries select male embryos as they value male offspring more highly
Gender ratio imbalance
Against nature - playing God?
Slippery slope
Parental love - goes against unconditional parental love
Why might a woman freeze her eggs?
Women that are about to undergo chemo can freeze their eggs to preserve them
Chemo treatment can reduce the number of eggs stored in your ovaries and can mean fewer or no eggs are released. Or sometimes, it can make you infertile
What are some ethical questions relating to Social egg freezing?
Is it a medical need? Or just convenient?
Impact of age of fertility in women – age related reduction in ovarian reserve
Technology is available
More reproductive control for women – choose to have children at a time that is convenient for them
Financial implications - IVF only free 3 times on NHS. Also may want to save eggs for a time where you are financially stable
Pregnancies beyond menopausal age - women are living longer but are mothers getting too old? If they die and leave young children behind is this ethical?
What is ‘reproductive tourism’?
When patients travel to other states or countries seeking fertility treatments in various forms because those treatments aren’t available to them in their own state or country
Commercial Surrogacy exploitation
Women act as surrogates for paying customers. Exploitation of poor or vulnerable women.
Often the women are living in strict environments in order to ensure the pregnancy is successful and optimise the outcome for commissioning parents
Why do some people argue that life starts when the primitive streak develops?
Because this is when the CNS starts to develop and they believe this is central to life
What are reasons for Abortion? (5)
Acknowledges sexual and reproductive rights of women
Unwanted pregnancy can harm physical & mental heath
Safe abortion saves lives globally
A potential human is not a child/human
Wanted children thrive
