Is IVF treatment ethically wrong?
Ethics are the systematic reflection of one's human values and actions. The principal components of ethical analysis are facts and values. Ethical values must be revised with changing facts and values. In most of the countries it is no longer an issue whether IVF is justifiable or not. There is a detailed interaction between rapid scientific development and changing societal values on IVF.
What is IFV?
IVF short for in vitro fertilisation is the process in which an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, before being implanted into the uterus. Couples who have fertility problems to conceive a child or same sex couple or single mothers can have children using this treatment. The first birth in a mammal resulting from IVF occurred in 1959 and in 1978 the world's first baby conceived by IVF was born. As medicine advanced, IVF was transformed from natural research to an imitated clinical treatment. There have been many improvements in the IVF process, and today millions of births have occurred with the help of IVF all over the world. According to some estimates more than five million people worldwide have been born using this technique.
When was the first human IVF performed and how did it go?
It was 25 July 1978 in Oldham General Hospital, Greater Manchester, UK, when Louise Brown became the world's first test tube baby born through fertility treatment IVF. Dr Mike Macnamee, chief executive at the world's first IVF clinic- Bourn Hall in Cambridge called her a miracle. She was the first to be born through IVF. Gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe and Nobel Prize-winning physiologist Robert Edwards were the two men who pioneered the treatment and went through hundreds of embryo transfers before Louise was conceived. This pair joined forces and worked for ten years together with skills that complemented each other. Edwards developed a way to fertilise human eggs within the laboratory and Steptoe devised a method for obtaining the eggs from the ovaries. Louise's birth was one in a million chance according to her mother's doctor. So when it successfully worked out, it was a moment of joy and scientific advancement. The birth was filmed with an agreement with the government to provide documented evidence that Louise was born by her mother. Louise had to undergo around 60 different tests to ensure she was normal.
What are the arguments on IFV for single women and same sex couple?
Ethical arguments for and against IVF in singles and homosexuals are those of fairness, non-discrimination, reproductive autonomy, and children’s well-being. According to some literature review there were no differences in psychological adjustment or parent–adolescent relationships between adolescents born through IVF for single women or women in same-sex partnerships and naturally conceived adolescents. Some countries with a previous ban have modified the legislation to permit IVF for single women since 2014. The legal restrictions on IVF and other forms of assisted reproduction for singles and same-sex couples vary between countries.
Why is IVF morally objectionable?
IVF is morally objectionable for a number of reasons:
the destruction of human embryos
the danger to women and newborn infants
the replacement of the marital act in procreation
Some recent studies have shown a significant risk of maternal death and morbidity associated with ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancies after IVF. Due to lack of uniform regulations for IVF clinics, there is under-reporting of the adverse effects which is quite worrisome.
Whenever a couple gets to know about infertility, they don't think about ethics or morals, they just think of the alternative to get a baby. IVF being one such treatment if seen from society's viewpoint is questionable but is correct in terms of getting a baby. The principal reason that this procedure is evil is that it involves the destruction of human embryos. The willful destruction of any single human being as a means or an end in itself is always ethically wrong. Another ethical problem of IVF is the danger to the woman being treated. The health risks to the mother and fetus are important, including death. The increased mortality is due to multiple pregnancies and ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome which are effects of IVF.
Conclusion
Ethics are the systematic reflection of one's human values and actions. The principal components of ethical analysis are facts and values. Ethical values must be revised with changing facts and values. IVF short for in vitro fertilisation is the process in which an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, before being implanted into the uterus. Couples who have fertility problems to conceive a child or same sex couple or single mothers can have children using this treatment. Ethical arguments for and against IVF in singles and homosexuals are those of fairness, non-discrimination, reproductive autonomy, and children’s well-being. Due to lack of uniform regulations for IVF clinics, there is under-reporting of the adverse effects which is quite worrisome. Whenever a couple gets to know about infertility, they don't think about ethics or morals, they just think of the alternative to get a baby. IVF being one such treatment if seen from society's viewpoint is questionable but is correct in terms of getting a baby.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7721055/