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| Embryos float in a petri dish held by Dr. David Diaz, an Orange County, California, fertility doctor (Seatle Times, October 12, 2008) |
APOLOGIA
By Hendrik van der Breggen
The Carillon, June 26, 2014
In Vitro Fertilization unwise
Is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) wise? I don't think so. Let's examine IVF and its pros and cons.
IVF
means fertilization "in glass," that is, fertilization in a test tube
or Petri dish.
The
IVF procedure involves the following steps: (1) a woman's ovaries are
stimulated to release multiple eggs; (2) 5-15 eggs are extracted (via minor
surgery); (3) sperm is obtained from a donor (via masturbation); (4) eggs and
sperm are placed in a Petri dish where fertilization occurs; (5) up to three
embryos are placed in a woman's uterus; (6) remaining embryos are frozen.
If
IVF is successful, an embryo implants in the uterus and a baby is born nine
months later. If not successful, leftover embryos are thawed and more embryos are
implanted.
IVF pros/ "pros":
●
IVF allows a woman and her husband to have a child if they otherwise have difficulty
with getting pregnant. If needed, a donor's sperm or egg can be used.
● Older women whose eggs risk defects may use a donor's egg with
her husband's or a donor's sperm.
● IVF makes it possible
for women who can't bear children themselves
to have their eggs fertilized by their husband (or sperm donor) and use a surrogate
mother.
● Lesbian couples can have a child using an egg from
one partner, sperm from a donor, then have the baby carried to term by the other
partner.
● Gay men can have a child, too: egg from a donor, add sperm
from one partner, add a surrogate mother.
● Conceivably (sorry) single men and women, gay or straight, could have
their own children by using their own or a donor's sperm/ eggs plus a surrogate
mother, if needed.
● Parents could find egg/sperm donors with specific qualities to create a
child of their choice.
IVF concerns/ questions:
● Up to three embryos are placed in the uterus. But
what if, as is not uncommon, there's more than one implantation? Possible problems:
(1) too many children, thereby perhaps risking mother's health; (2) "selective
termination," i.e., abortion of the extra child/ children.
● IVF usually creates
more frozen embryos than needed. What about the
"leftovers"? Garbage? Research? But science tells us that the human
embryo is a human being. Surely, discarding or doing research on human embryos
(research that destroys them) is a moral concern. Should embryo creation cease
until the frozen leftovers have been implanted or adopted?
● Do biologically-based
moral obligations to the IVF child accrue to sperm and egg donors? Biological
parents have moral obligations to their offspring—we sue biological fathers for
child support because they are biological
fathers. So what about the sperm donors who become biological fathers? What
about the egg donors who become biological mothers? Do egg and sperm donors
violate a nature-based moral duty to their children? Is this unjust to
children?
● When sperm and egg
donors—i.e., the biological parents—are anonymous, their IVF children struggle deeply with personal identity. For a child, knowledge of and being loved by
his/ her biological mother and father are important. But anonymous sperm and egg donors obliterate this connection. Is this unfair to children?
● IVF creates markets
for women's eggs and egg harvesting presents serious health risks to women. Is
this "eggsploitation"—the exploitation of women for their eggs?
● IVF creates markets
for surrogate mothers. Are women (especially vulnerable women) now exploited for
their wombs? Does IVF contribute to
the creation of a sub-class of women—a.k.a. "breeders"?
● IVF-created people
should be loved and respected. But do IVF efforts to create "designer
babies" turn children into commodities?
● Finally, what about
the many already-born, non-IVF children who need parents? Should they be rescued first? Should their adoption
occur instead of IVF?
Is IVF
wise? I think the cons outweigh the pros.
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