Ethical Issues On Reproductive Technology

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Ethical issues on Reproductive technology

Ethics is the matter of the heart and when we discuss the heart we will all ways have conflict. Just for the simple fact that ethics in dealing with assisted reproductive technology is like a domino effect, when you answer one question another one arises. When we bring up the law in the United States about marital status and assisted reproductive technology (ART) you must be in a stable relationship, but what I found interesting is they have yet to define a couple, the relationship. Legislation does not allow discretion or the possibility that it was used, there is no grey area. Who qualifies; infertile couples, only married couples, gay couples, lesbian couples, HIV-positive couples what about the 60 year old couple that wants a baby. We are forgetting the single women who want babies also, who made up the rule that if you’re single you can not raise a child as well as a married couple. When bringing up people, we will naturally bring up autonomy.

Autonomy and how much of it is right by law. Autonomy is the right to self-government, moral principles we set up for ourselves. What about the respect for the patient’s autonomy? What about the patient’s right to choose what she or the couple sees fit. For example a wife would like to be implanted with six embryos. While the doctor may say that it is an unsafe venture, the couple feels that it is their bodies, lives and choice who is the physician to decide the suitable number for them. When we start to discuss embryos we bring up more issues in dealing with donor anonymity, alternative sources of donor eggs and arguments against and for donation.

Donation is a very tender subject, because in nature’s way of doing things in having plain sexual intercourse we left the baby’s characteristics up to chance where as in technology we can do so many things to alter, exploit and to ultimately pick and choose the design of our child. I don’t know how to say in words parents are suppose to love unconditionally no matter if the child came out with brown eyes and you wanted green. While ethics argues for justice and reproductive tourism, which basically states if I don’t qualify in the United States I should be able to travel to Canada to get the procedure done or the donation come from Canada.

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