Infertility is a heart breaking reality that has existed throughout history and is something that people still face today. As technology is advancing, doctors are able to give people more options to help them achieve a pregnancy. One option that technology has allowed for is surrogate motherhood, or placing a fertilized egg into a woman to develop. Gestational surrogacy, one method of the process, implants a couple’s fertilized egg into another woman who then carries the baby to full term. This is a great and safe method for couples today, but is highly misunderstood. Surrogacy allows parents to have a child with their genetics, unlike other options. Different religious groups don’t believe it is morally correct and some pro-life campaigners …show more content…
There are many different services available through the organization of Planned Parenthood. Some of these services include the birth control pill, abortion, IVF treatments, and counseling. Most states have laws regarding parental consent of minors to use these services, but like surrogacy, it varies from state to state. For example, Connecticut has no legislation that restricts services of Planned Parenthood or gestational surrogacy. But states such as Texas allow services like abortion, contraceptives, and surrogacy, but only if certain restrictions are met. The District of Columbia is a state that brings their opinion of “parent” into question; as a state, they allow all services of Planned Parenthood without parental consent to minors, including abortion, but does not allow any type of surrogacy agreement and even “imposes criminal penalties” (Hinson 2011). Despite different opinions, this doesn’t seem to be very ideal or fair: “To try and criminalize surrogacy is a bit like trying to criminalize contraception or abortion, in that it comes too close to criminalizing sexuality, libido, or intimacy” (Williams 11). Setting a national standard to be used as a basis for law making regarding Planned Parenthood practices would be a tremendous improvement for people wanting to partake in these services. Attempting to create a national uniformity regarding parenting practies is going to take a lot of time and will create controversy. Despite what efforts have already been done, “The judicial determination of the legal meaning of ‘mother’ does not resolve the policy disputes that revolve around surrogacy” (Place 907). The issue of nationally legalizing surrogacy is just as difficult as nationally outlawing abortion; different religious groups, physicians, and the public as a whole have various opinions that prevent an easy
Recently Congress has sparked a debate as to whether or not the government should continue funding Planned Parenthood. Too many people are uneducated about the many services Planned
Planned Parenthood is non-profit and has been around for over fifty years. Planned Parenthood offers many services to women, other than abortions. A few of the services offered to women are free health care, such as anemia testing, cholesterol screening, physical exams for employees and for sports, flu vaccinations, aid in quitting smoking, high blood pressure testing, tetanus vaccinations, and thyroid screening. The many other services they offer include free birth control, emergency contraception, testing for STD’s (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), breast cancer screenings, cervical cancer screenings, pelvic exams, free information to women, and a number of other things.(“General Health”) Under the Hyde amendment that passed in 1976, there has been a legislative provision prohibiting the use of certain federal funds to pay for abortion unless the pregnancy arises from incest, rape, or to save the life of the mother. During the fiscal year that ended in June 2014, Planned Parenthood affiliates around the country received $528.4 million in government funds. It has been estimated that 42 percent of their services went towards STD/STI testing and treatment, 34 percent went to contraceptive, 11 percent to women's health services, 9 percent to cancer screenings and prevention, 3 percent to abortion, and 1 percent to other services. This 9 minute video
A surrogacy is the carrying of a pregnancy for intended parents. There are two kinds of surrogacy: “Gestational”, in which the egg and sperm belong to the intended parents and is carried by the surrogate, and “traditional”, where the surrogate is inseminated with the intended father’s sperm. Regardless of the method, I believe that surrogacy cannot be morally justified. Surrogacy literally means “substitute”, or “replacement”. A surrogate is a replacement for a mother for that 9-month period of pregnancy, and therefore is reducing the role of the surrogate mother to an oversimplified and dehumanizing labor. The pregnancy process for the gestational mother can be very physically and mentally demanding, and is unique because after birthing the
The advancement and continued developments of third-party assisted reproductive medical practices has allowed many prospective parents, regardless of their marital status, age, or sexual orientation, to have a new opportunity for genetically or biologically connected children. With these developments come a number of rather complex ethical issues and ongoing discussions regarding assisted reproduction within our society today. These issues include the use of reproductive drugs, gestational services such as surrogacy as well as the rights of those seeking these drugs and services and the responsibilities of the professionals who offer and practice these services.
When looking at the development of abortion policy, it is clear that it has always been a subject of controversy. Campaigns for the legalisation of...
Planned Parenthood federation of America (PPFA), is widely known as Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that provides reproductive healthcare and family planning services. Planned Parenthood is the nation 's leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate (Planned). Planned Parenthood receives federal funding from the government to help practice the services they provide, but some groups believe that funding this organization is morally wrong. Specifically, in the recent Republican Presidential debates, defunding Planned Parenthood and Abortion rights have been the central topic. However if the government were to move forward with the defunding
Planned Parenthood provides much important health care to women in the United States. Therefore the Government (State and Federal) should continue to fund the organization. PPFA (Planned Parenthood Federation of America) provides a high variety of service at affordable pricing to women, men, and teenagers. Planned Parenthood has been categorized by some government representatives as an organization that misspend funds as well as some religious systems that oppose abortion. PPFA have also supply communities with guidance, health services, abortion services as well as referrals for adoption.
“Sometimes when making something so precious, beautiful and unique, it takes an extra helping heart” (Author Unknown). To me, surrogate motherhood is giving the gift of a child to an individual who cannot carry a child themselves. I chose this topic because it interests me to see what kind of problems are linked with the journey of surrogacy. I have seen plenty of fictional movies about surrogate mothers, and I wanted to learn if any of these issues happened in real life situations. Before I began my research I thought about the ethical, legal, and social problems that could arise during the process of surrogacy. Legally, I thought you could be a surrogate
The addition of a child into a family’s home is a happy occasion. Unfortunately, some families are unable to have a child due to unforeseen problems, and they must pursue other means than natural pregnancy. Some couples adopt and other couples follow a different path; they utilize in vitro fertilization or surrogate motherhood. The process is complicated, unreliable, but ultimately can give the parents the gift of a child they otherwise could not have had. At the same time, as the process becomes more and more advanced and scientists are able to predict the outcome of the technique, the choice of what child is born is placed in the hands of the parents. Instead of waiting to see if the child had the mother’s eyes, the father’s hair or Grandma’s heart problem, the parents and doctors can select the best eggs and the best sperm to create the perfect child. Many see the rise of in vitro fertilization as the second coming of the Eugenics movement of the 19th and early 20th century. A process that is able to bring joy to so many parents is also seen as deciding who is able to reproduce and what child is worthy of birthing.
Surrogacy is becoming extremely popular as a way for people to build their families and women to have a source of income. Many people have various reasons for their opposition to it whether it be by comparing it to prostitution or disagreeing with how military wives take advantage of the Tricare insurance. Lorraine Ali states in her article “The Curious Lives of Surrogates” that one of the more popular reasons to oppose surrogacy is that it contradicts, “what we’ve always thought of as an unbreakable bond between mother and child.” However, a woman’s inability to conceive her own children does not determine the absence of a mother to child bond.
Gestational surrogacy, especially when it involves commercial surrogates, challenges the status quo in the ethical theory of reproduction, because with this technology the process of producing a child can no longer remain a private matter. Now a public contract exists between two parties, the couple and the surrogate ...
While surrogacy is a risky occupation, Prudy believes that women should be able to make that choice for themselves. Especially since in our daily lives we all engage in risky behaviors, such as driving a car or consuming alcohol. As a result, there is little reason to limit a woman’s choice in participating in surrogacy. However, Purdy admits that the current unregulated approach is unacceptable and legislations need to be endorsed in ordered to make the practice safer, since surrogacy will most likely continue to occur whether it is regulated or
Commercial surrogacy commodifies children because by paying the surrogate mother to give up her child, they treat the child as an object of exchange or commodity that can be bought and sold. As any business transaction, the parents give money for the exchange of an object, the child. The parents get their desired child and the mother gets the money, but what about what thee child think about this event? The parents and surrogate mother’s action were done with self-interest. It could be argued that they wanted the best for the child. However, the first priority in the intentional procreation of the child was not the welfare of the child but rather to give it up to the parents in exchange of money. Additionally, women’s labor is commodified because the surrogate mother treats her parental rights as it was a property right not as a trust. In other words, the decisions taken concerning the child are not done primarily for the benefit of the child. The act of the mother relenting her parental rights is done for a monetary price. She disposes of her parental rights, which are to be managed for the welfare of the owner, as if they were property right, which are to be handled for personal
As a young adult, it may seem foolish to predict what your future family life will look like, especially in regards to children. Often times this reality is forced upon a select few, particularly homosexual couples; however, with the innovation of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a couple is met with promise and the hope of a successful family life. IVF can be described as a process by which a fetus is genetically formed in a laboratory setting. Though this process may seem unnatural in essence, it allows for a more diverse family arrangement through medical innovation. This procedure, though controversial, is seen by many as an advancement in the medical field and can be accredited to procuring a healthy child for an unfortunate family, whether
Most young people envision their future in the realm of getting married and creating a family. One of the most devastating things that can happen to a young couple is to be told they cannot have children. There are several options the couple can pursue, and one of those options available is surrogacy. Society today is torn on whether or not surrogacy should be legal in today’s world. Surrogacy is very controversial for many people around the world, and opinions are strong on the subject. Surrogacy is defined as the utilization of a third party female in order for a infertile family to create a biological child for their family. Legalized surrogacy is important to many couples as an option of creating the family they have always dreamed