Introduction:
There are a great number of issues to deliberate when one considers IVF – many of these being questions of ethics, legality and psychosocial issues. We studied the case of Yvonne and Matthew, a couple who struggled to conceive for 5 years and subsequently sought to undergo IVF treatment. After two unsuccessful rounds of treatment, the couple split. Yvonne intends to continue IVF with the remaining frozen embryos. Matthew, however, does not agree and is considering his legal options on the matter. The various facets of this case are discussed below.
Health and Society:
There are many factors that are predictive of the health behaviours of both Yvonne and Matthew in this case. In particular, alcohol, smoking and obesity are modifiable contributing factors to each of their behaviours. Non-modifiable factors, such as demographics (genetics, age), social status and culture, and cognition (beliefs, attitudes and knowledge) all have an integral and intertwined role to their aforementioned preventable contributing factors. Each of these variables interacts with each other to contribute to the individual’s overall health behaviour and in turn the incidence of health related issues they will encounter in the course of their IVF treatment. (Duncan et al., 1996) It is widely accepted that contemporary health risks like smoking, drinking, diet and exercise are intimately inter-related to the broader social, cultural and economic world. (Lessof, 1983) Take for example, the couple’s beliefs on smoking, drinking and comfort eating – the society and culture in which they live dictates that each of these behaviours is a means of social exchange and is dependent on an individual’s own disposable income, thus inter-linking these beh...
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...n. The grave lack of legislation surrounding this issue bleeds into the aforementioned ethical and moral considerations of cryopreserved embryos and calls for stricter legislation to be implemented.
Health Informatics and Literature Review:
METHODS: I used the NUIG James Hardiman Library catalogue extensively to access the Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley and Uptodate databases. Evidence for the topics I discussed was obtained by searching phrases like “IVF”, “health belief model”, “IVF complications & maternal”, “IVF complications & neonate”, “ethics & cryopreserved embryos”, “IVF and multi-fetal pregnancy”, “legal status of embryo in Ireland”, “risks and benefits of IVF”, “patient-centred care” etc. I limited my search results to peer-reviewed journal articles and attempted to limit my search scope to recent years so as to ensure my evidence was up-to-date.
Waskey, Andrew J. “Moral Status of Embryo.” Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research. Ed. Clive N. Svendsen, and Allison D. Ebert. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008. 347-52. SAGE knowledge. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
A recent Court of Appeal ruling looked at preimplantation and IVF selection and how it was possibly going to be prohibited in the UK. Therefore, there are many factors that need to be discussed to whether or not it should be outlaw...
The fight against diseases, especially these serious diseases causing untold suffering for many people, must be continuous and heroic. Fetal tissue use has a promising hope for people in their old age to be and live more sustainable. Even though fetal research does not hold the certainty but only a possibility of cures for such diseases, such possibilities should be realized if one has the resources and there is no moral impediment to doing so. But that remains the question. Is there a moral impediment to such research? ...
Outlined within this essay are two sociological theories which have been investigated this will be in conjunction with a contemporary health issue. This then will be related to how the individual’s lifestyle and social class to give the reader a better understanding of this health issue.
“IVF Patient Numbers and Success Rates Continue to Rise." Human Fertlisation & Embryology Authority. Dec. 2007. .
With the increased rate of integrating In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), there has been a steep inclination within the associated needs of specifications. Observably, the development of babies using scientific measures was initially formulated and specified for developing the diverse range of development associated with the same (Turriziani, 2014). However, these developments are noted to be creating an adverse impact on the natural course of events and subsequently, resulting with an adverse impact on the natural process of the development of babies. The initial integrations within the system of IVF for developing babies have further been initiated with the effective use of science to develop a healthy baby. Hence, the use of such progressions can be argued as not hampering the ethical needs associated with the same. Conversely, the initial progression within the same and the changes in the use of such practices are identified as unethical, as it has been acting as a threat in the natural course of development of embryos and altering the natural course of events, suspected to be imposing significant influence on infant mortality (Turriziani,
Once an embryo forms, a doctor implants it in the mother, and it grows just like a naturally-conceived baby. However, numerous fertilized eggs never develop any further, as their mothers wish to implant and give birth to only one or two. Unfortunately, the “left-over” embryos, if not frozen for future implantation face deadly experiments. In fact, out of the 400,000 currently frozen embryos, the majority face a future of experiments (Stem). At the surface, this appears completely ethical – after all, we ought to put “left-overs” to good use. However, by playing God, we decide the death of these embryos. First, we decide their fate; then, we rule how such a convenience might aid humankind (Meilaender). As society forgets limitations, embraces perfection, and devalues human life, playing God merely becomes a game – a game between ….
...ns of a morally questionable nature. It is necessary that our practices remain ethical and that we uphold the value of a human life, as this is the cornerstone of human society. Embryonic stem cell research is one such operation that forces scientists, policy makers, and the larger society to define what constitutes a human life and to find an answer to the crucial question: Is it morally acceptable to violate the rights of a human life for the for the sake of medical progress?
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help those who want children but struggle with infertility. The process consists of extracting eggs from a woman and collecting a man’s sperm sample then manually combining them in a lab dish. Once the embryo(s) are created they are transferred to a woman’s uterus. IVF is commonly used in woman who cannot conceive on their own due to different reasonings. “These include but are not limited to blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, male factor infertility, woman with ovulation disorders, genetic disorders, woman who have had their fallopian tubes removed and unexplained infertility.” (American Pregnancy)
Currently informed consent from many of the ivf clinics include following points: 1)Requirement of screening tests to determine the eligibility of donor as candidate for egg donation. 2)Understanding the medical procedure. 3)Understanding the risks involved with the procedure with respect to- a) drug used for ovarian stimulation, b)ovarian hyperstimulation effects c) Discussion of Number of eggs to be extracted prior to procedure d) Process of egg extraction e)long term effects of pr...
In 2000 the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) defined reproductive rights as "the basic rights of couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children; to have the information and means to do so; and to have the right to make decisions concerning reproduction, free of discrimination, coercion or violence."[1] Traditionally society defines reproductive rights in the context of one's being able to make decisions about his or her own reproduction; other individuals, unrelated to that person, were not considered as being involved in the decision. With the onset of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, reproductive processes have become more complicated. For example, in gestational surrogacy a surrogate mother, not genetically related to the embryo, is brought into the process of reproduction. This technique allows infertile couples to carry a child or children in the womb of a carrier, rather than in the womb of the biological mother.[2] As a result of this ethically controversial technology, society must modify its reproductive rights. In vitro fertilization (IVF) alone will not solve people's reproductive problems and protect everybody's rights. Society, therefore, must distinguish whose rights-the rights of biological parents or those of the surrogate mothers-should be protected.
Test tube babies have long been stigmatized by society as the unnatural results of scientific dabbling. The words `test tube baby' have been used by school children as an insult, and many adults have seen an artificial means of giving birth as something perhaps only necessary for a lesbian woman, or a luxury item only available to the elite few. The reality is that assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have been helping infertile couples have children since 1978.1 The methods of in vitro fertilization, it's variants, and the other ART procedures are ways for persons that would otherwise have no hope of conception to conceive and, in a rapidly growing percentage of cases, give birth to healthy babies. As the technology has developed, the quality and range of assistance has developed as well. At present, the means of assisted reproduction and the capabilities of these procedures has grown at a somewhat dizzying pace. However, thought to the repercussions of the applications of ART are being disregarded to some extent while the public's knowledge and the understanding of embryologists and geneticists surges forward. It is possible given consideration to things such as the morality of these techniques, the unexplored alternative uses of these procedures, and the potential impact they posses that further development is unnecessary and possibly dangerous.
An important scientific argument for IVF is that, by studying fertilization and early embryonic development outside the womb, scientists might learn more about how to prevent certain birth defects (1). This proves that IVF could actually make improvements in medical advances, especially in regards to prenatal care. This is just one example of how IVF can actually be beneficial to the community. The only times that babies are malformed or sick are when the mother puts more than one baby in her uterus. Multiple fetuses increase the chance of birth defects because they have a greater chance of preterm birth, which is associated with long-term health. The long-term illnesses are cerebral palsy, mental illness, and blindness (Reddy 1). With this in mind, having single births is very safe and those babies are still healthy today, just like Sarah and Maggie Marshall’s baby. Single births are also very highly recommended by medical personnel. Going back to the first test tube baby the Browns were expecting, and Steptoe (the doctor) thought that this baby would be a failure. When they did a cesarean on July 25, 1978, a beautiful baby girl was born at 5 pounds and 12 ounces. After the baby was born, the doctor recalled that
Foht, Brendan P. "Three-Parent Embryos Illustrate Ethical Problems with Technologies." Medical Ethics, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
Pfeffer, N., Kent J., (2006). ‘Consent to the use of aborted fetuses in stem cell