In Vitro Fertilization - Essay Example

IN VITRO FERTILIZATION Infertility is a failure to conceive a child after a year of unprotected sex. This condition is now perceived as a health problem that is experienced by millions of people worldwide. In vitro fertilization is one of the several assisted reproductive technologies developed with the intention of addressing or helping infertile couples achieve pregnancy. The success of in vitro fertilization is measured by live birth of one healthy child. Although, IVF has proven itself to be a viable solution to infertility, the procedure or treatment is not without problems. In vitro fertilization is plagued by social, cultural, political, legal, technical, religious and psychological issues. This paper touch only two of the many concerns attributed to in vitro fertilization. These are the ethical issues pertinent to the sanctity of conjugal procreation and the dignity of the human embryo. And the social issue of accessibility of the IVF treatment in resource-poor countries. Viable solutions to these problems include a shift in perspective which implies a moving away from the notion of IVF as mere medical treatment to IVF as an act of participation in the creation process. While, accessibility of IVF in developing countries should be seen as a response to the vulnerated condition of a particular sector in the society. INTRODUCTION There is an implicit general agreement among cultures and societies that parenthood is one of the major role transitions in the adult life of both male and female. (Demyttenaere, 1990) However, in contemporary Western countries the increasing number of infertile couples is already a public health issue. And this is caused not solely by advanced maternal age but also by lifestyle, habits and environment factors that contribute to the poor quality of fertilized eggs. (Soini et al, 2006) Surprisingly, current studies are showing that the problem of increasing infertile couples is also at the rise in developing countries. (Pennings, 2008) Unfortunately, this problem is relegated as insignificant vis-à-vis the problem of overpopulation in these countries. With this scenario, it is apt to focus the attention on reproductive health. Reproductive health does not only imply people having a satisfying and safe sex life but it is also about the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. (United Nations, 1994) Infertility which is the in ability to conceive after a year of unprotected sex is a public health problem in both the developed and developing countries. In response to infertility as a health problem that affects “every 6th couple in Western countries” (Soini et al, 2006, p 589) and the condition creates “social, moral and psychological problems to women in developing countries” (Pennings, 2008, p 16), in vitro fertilization (IVF) is proffered as one of the most viable option of infertile couples who are vulnerated by this condition. However, not everybody is comfortable with IVF. Debates regarding the ethical, social and legal status of spare embryos from IVF, weakening of the gene pool, possibility of eugenics, social justice in terms of access, differences in religious perspectives and other similar concerns have been some of the important issues that surrounds IVF. But, what really is IVF? This paper will address the following questions: first, what is IVF? Second, what are some of the ethical and social issues that inhere in IVF? And third, what are some of the possible solutions to some of the problems of IVF? IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF): IN FOCUS In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of the several assisted reproductive technologies developed as a “treatment or procedure to assist fertilization and help the couple achieve a pregnancy” (Soini et al, 2006, p 644) The procedure involves making the woman superovulated in order for her to produce multiple oocytes (female gametes) or eggs. Once this is done, the eggs or oocytes are harvested or collected and then mix with a sperm. After fertilization, the eggs are kept in culture. Usually, one to two resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus between days two and five of development. Generally, IVF is indicated for couples wherein the woman has blocked fallopian tubes, infertility of unknown cause, and a high risk of conveying a genetic disease to the child. Likewise, “multifactorial medical causes like infections and genital/genital tract anomalies and other reasons like premature menopause are some of the causes for IVF.” (Soini et al, 2006, p 590). Success of an IVF procedure in an IVF clinic is measured by successful pregnancy which is equivalent to live birth of one healthy child. The transfer of more than one embryo is not encouraged and is considered as undesirable. For evidence shows that “a transfer of more than one embryo at a time does not improve the likelihood of pregnancy but only increases the likelihood of multiple pregnancies” (Martikainen et al, 2001, p 1902) IVF: SOME ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES There are many issues that envelop IVF. (Soini et al, 2006; Demyttenaere, 1990; Pennings, 2008; Ombelet & Campo 2007; Schotsmans, 1998, 2001; Denier 2006) But some of the more controversial issues that haunt IVF are the idea that in vitro fertilization is “in opposition of the sanctity of procreation and conjugal union” (Schotsmans ,2001, p 295) and that IVF treats the human embryo as a mere biological material, questioning the very integrity of the human embryo. Concerns regarding the sanctity of procreation are raised since it is claimed that the manipulation which transpires in IVF counters the sexual intimacy and love that is revealed between couples during procreation. It is maintained that IVF has medicalized procreation itself, removing the sacredness of the act itself. The problem regarding the integrity of the human embryo is advanced when questions regarding what to do with the spare embryos are put forwarded. How should the human zygote be treated? Should it be treated like an ordinary biological material that can be utilized and disposed at will or should the human zygote be treated as the first instance of human life and as such deserves respect befitting to a potential human being? These two issues have opened heated debate not only within religious perspective but also in the fields of ethics and science particularly in stem cell research. Another concern that is explicit in IVF especially in developing countries is accessibility. There are 80 million infertile couples worldwide and majority of which are in developing countries (Ombelet & Campo, 2007) Infertility is a health problem. (Sioni et al, 2006) And as such, access to treatment like IVF should be made available. Unfortunately, in resource- poor countries “infertility treatment is almost exclusively provided by private hospitals to the upper-class.” (Pennings, 2008, p 18) Furthermore, since the people in the Third world are confronted with problems of poverty and immense difficulty in terms of lack of basic necessities like clean drinking water and food and even access to basic health services, it is highly improbable that the government will be investing on IVF clinics. Moreover, this situation is compounded by the wrongful belief that the ‘real’ problem of developing countries is overpopulation. (Pennings, 2008) It should be noted that the overpopulation argument does not deal with the concerns of infertile couples and does not address the fact that there are minorities in the society that are vulnerated by infertility which is something that can be answered by IVF. In light this situation, what can be done? SOME PROFFERED SOLUTIONS The ethical concerns pertinent to IVF which is raised in this paper (sanctity of procreation and the integrity of the human embryo) can be dealt with by a shift in focus – from the concept of sheer medicalization of IVF to the idea of IVF as a means with which human beings manifest creativity and participation in the creation process. IVF is one of the many ways wherein the human person can attain human flourishing in continuous relation with others towards achieving authentic stewardship of the creation. While, on the other hand, questions regarding access of IVF in resource-poor countries are multifarious. It cannot be solved by simply talking of equal access, of social justice in abstraction. Although socio-political and economic factors greatly contribute to government’s countries inaction to infertility problems, it does not mean that it cannot act on it. Access to infertility treatments is a matter of policy. This does not mean that establishments of IVF clinics should be the primary concern but governments should take the initiative of providing IVF to those who need it at lower costs. CONCLUSION In vitro fertilization is an effective procedure that can be utilized by millions of infertile couples worldwide in order to fulfill their desire to have a child. Though the procedure is plagued by ethical, social, technical and legal issues, it does not connote that IVF is ineffectual. Problems pertinent to spare embryos should serve as a challenge to policy makers on how they can effectively handle the human zygote without denigrating it. In the same way, intensive lobbying should be done to convince governments of developing countries to address the problem of infertility as infertility is slowly becoming a major health concern worldwide. Again, IVF is not the panacea for infertility but it is a procedure that can help tackle the condition. REFERENCE: Demyttenaere,K. (1990). Psychoendocrinological aspects of reproduction. Leuven: Peeters Press. Denier, Y. (2006). “Need or desire? A conceptual and moral phenomenology of the child wish”, International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp 81 -95. Martikainen, H., H. Tiitinen, et al. (2001). “Study group: one versus two embryo transfer after IVF and ICSI: a randomized study, Human Reproduction, Vol. 16, pp 1900 – 1903. Ombelet, W. & R. Campo. (2007). “Affordable IVF for developing countries”, Reproductive Biomedicine Online, Vol.15, No. 3, pp 257 – 265. Retrieved from www.rbmonline.com/Article/2820. Accessed on Oct.10,2009. Pennings, G.(2008). “Ethical issues of infertility treatment in developing countries”, Human Reproduction, Vol. 10, 10, 93, pp 15 – 20. Schotsmans, P. (1998). “In vitro fertilization: the ethics of illicit, a personalist Catholic approach”, Reproductive Biology, 81, pp 235 -241. ___________. (2001). “In vitro fertilization and Ethics” in Bioethics in European Perspective. Ed by H.A.M.J. ten Have and B Gordijn. The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Soini, S., D. Ibarreta et al. (2006). “The interface between assisted reproductive technologies and genetics: technical, social, ethical and legal issues”, European Journal of Human Genetics, 14, pp 588 – 645. United Nations. (1994). Programme of action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. Read More