Unit 2 Flashcards
What is artificial insemination by husband?
When a woman is made pregnant by the sperm of her husband, but through not having sexual relationships with him.
What is artificial insemination?
When sperm is medically inserted into the vagina to assist pregnancy
What is artificial insemination by donor?
When a woman is made pregnant by the sperm of a man other than her partner, but not through having sexual relationships with him.
Give 3 reasons as to why people might need to use AI?
- They can’t conceive natural due to lifestyle issues ( smoking, excessive alcohol consumption etc) these lower fertility.
- If two men or women or in a relationship they obviously can’t have a one sperm and one egg.
- If the husband or male partner has a genetic condition he doesn’t want to pass on eg. HIV or Huntingtons.
Give three examples of fertility treatments.
Artificial insemination
Ivf
Surrogacy
What are Christians responses to artificial insemination? Give 4 viewpoints.
- 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)
- 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.
- Some Christians think you can use medical technology for AIH only, because it helps the couple have the child they wish for.
- 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.
What is IVF?
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.
How is IVF carried out?
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.
Who was the first test tube baby?
Louise brown.
Arguments for IVF
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.
Arguments against IVF
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.
In what year did the Anglican Church state that the use of embryos up until 14 days is acceptable so IVF is permissible?
1984
What is a surrogate mother?
A woman who has a baby for another woman.
Define surrogacy
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.
Why might some women choose a surrogacy mother?
Some women are physically unable to carry their own babies, however they still desire one which is biologically related to them.
Can you pay someone to become a surrogate mother?
No it is illegal, you can only pay expenses eg. Food for a healthy diet paying for maternity clothing etc.
Give an example of surrogacy in the bible.
In genesis, when Abraham and Sarah wanted a child. They were too old and Abraham had a child with her servant Hager.
Give responses in favour of surrogacy
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.
Give responses against surrogacy
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.
Give a brief overview of how surrogacy works.
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.
Define cloning
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.
What are the two types of genetic engineering and what are they?
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.
How is an animal cloned?
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.
In what year did the Human Fertilisation Act legalise experiment on human embryos of up to 14 days development to research on?
1990
