ART'S ( assisted reproduction technology)

[linusface]

hi, can someone please help me answer this questions concerning ART's.

1.which assisted reproductive technologies might help the following couples?

a) a woman who is born without a uterus, but manufactures healthy ova.
b) a man whoese cancer treatment greatly damage his sperm
c)a woman's fallopian tubes are blocked due to an infection, so her ovum cannot reach the uterus



2. Give views on the ethical issues:

a) wealthy couples could hire poor women as surrogates simply becuase the adoptive mother does not want to be pregnant. Would you object to this practice?

b) Do you think children born of an assisted reproduction technology should be told about their origins?

Can someone well versed in this topic please give me some of your well-valued views on the following ethical issues, support your answer with some reasons. your help is appreciated!

 

[Math Is Hard]

Hi linusface. Welcome to PF. You will only get guidance here if you first give your thoughts about the answers and explanations for these questions.

 

[linusface]

sure.. my first time posting here.

Question 1:
a) a surrogate mother?
b) go to the sperm bank
c) IVF? I am not too sure





For question 2 on the ethics
a) Who is harmed? As long as you can't offer the poor women a better way to earn their livings it is right. The problem is that those women should have better ways, but if you do not allow them to do that then they will probably have to find a way they like less and can be worse for them. At this point I think it wouldn't be ethic to forbid it. As these practices may involve some risks they should just be legislated, and a protocol established.

b) I don't think that really matters, I'm more worried about present and future than past. But I don't think it should be hidden, in my opinion there are very few cases in which hiding the truth can be ethic, and I don't think this is one of them. To sum up, I don't think it is necessary to tell them about that, but it shouldn't be hidden.

 

[linusface]

IS there anyone who will be able to help me now ?

 

[Math Is Hard]

I think you gave really good answers. In the case of the woman with the fallopian tube infection, why not treat the infection? Unless you mean she previously had an infection that resulted in damaged tissue and blockage.

Just some thoughts. On ethics question a, what did you mean by, "The problem is that those women should have better ways, but if you do not allow them to do that then they will probably have to find a way they like less and can be worse for them." Are you saying they are so destitute that if they could not rent out their wombs they would turn to some dangerous or criminal way of earning money? I could be wrong, but I tend to think it isn't usually the case that surrogates offer their services because of desperate poverty, but for a multitude of other reasons. Of course, in this particular case, the adoptive mother is not incapable of having children, just not willing to go through pregnancy - so are you arguing that only a woman in the most desperate of financial situations would agree to be a surrogate for this woman? Do you see any problems with this mutually beneficial relationship? I agree with your point, "who is being harmed?" But just to be thorough, you might think about any potential for harm (what if the surrogate has complications and loses her own fertility, puts her health at risk, becomes attached to the child growing inside her, etc.)
And isn't there something just a little unsettling about someone being able to hire another person's body(and potentially put her at risk) to avoid something that's inconvenient, uncomfortable, and possibly even risky for the buyer?

One more thing, in paragraphs a and b, change "ethic" to "ethical".

 

[Moonbear]

sure.. my first time posting here.

Question 1:
a) a surrogate mother?
b) go to the sperm bank
c) IVF? I am not too sure

What type of class is this for? I'm wondering because these answers might be sufficient, or you might need to go into more details, depending on the type of course.

Have you learned about the procedure that has the acronym ICSI in your class? If so, for which of the above cases might that be appropriate (it is appropriate for at least one of those cases).

For question 2 on the ethics
a) Who is harmed? As long as you can't offer the poor women a better way to earn their livings it is right. The problem is that those women should have better ways, but if you do not allow them to do that then they will probably have to find a way they like less and can be worse for them. At this point I think it wouldn't be ethic to forbid it. As these practices may involve some risks they should just be legislated, and a protocol established.

A couple things you may want to consider and elaborate upon here:
Are the ethical issues different if the adoptive mother seeks a surrogate because she cannot conceive her own child but would if she could, vs if she can conceive her own child, but won't? And, if she can conceive, but doesn't want to, why would that be, and why is it okay to then expect another woman to experience those things just because she is poor?

Also, if someone is so poor as to agree to being a surrogate mother just for the sake of earning money, is that really doing so willingly, or is there a degree of coercion originating from the desperation of poverty and the possibility to escape that?

Ultimately, this question is asking for your opinion, not for a "right" answer, you just need to be careful to support your opinion fully.

b) I don't think that really matters, I'm more worried about present and future than past. But I don't think it should be hidden, in my opinion there are very few cases in which hiding the truth can be ethic, and I don't think this is one of them. To sum up, I don't think it is necessary to tell them about that, but it shouldn't be hidden.

This answer is a bit repetitive. You might strengthen your argument with some examples. Perhaps it's worth comparing this issue regarding children born from ART with the same questions that have been asked regarding adopted children.

 

[chaossojer]

seah -.- that is cheap

good job seah you rock

anyway for the questions i would like to share some of my crazy ideas too :P

1(a). I think that the woman could use a modified method of in vitro fertilization, which is to fertilize the egg in a lab or something and then transferring the embryos into another woman's uterus (since this woman doesn't seem to have one). The funny thing was at first I thought that there was no such method as this but later I found out that it was actually something like gestational surrogacy. :p

Another option that I thought of is to try and grow a uterus for this poor woman, I believe that this option should soon be available because of stem cell research.

 

[Moonbear]

good job seah you rock

anyway for the questions i would like to share some of my crazy ideas too :P

Are the two of you in the same course?

1(a). I think that the woman could use a modified method of in vitro fertilization, which is to fertilize the egg in a lab or something and then transferring the embryos into another woman's uterus (since this woman doesn't seem to have one). The funny thing was at first I thought that there was no such method as this but later I found out that it was actually something like gestational surrogacy. :p

That's not a crazy idea at all. Nothing needs to be "modified" about IVF in this case, and this is precisely how a surrogate mother would become a surrogate.

Another option that I thought of is to try and grow a uterus for this poor woman, I believe that this option should soon be available because of stem cell research.

That's a lot more far-fetched, and not at all possible at this time. I'm sure the assignment is to identify the options that are available at this time.