Women are subjected to a wide range of drugs which have harmful side effects. Some drugs induced to facilitate ovulation have also caused infertility in the male child. When women are put through the consumption of such drugs, the chances of multiple births increases, thus the woman gives birth to twins, triplets or even more.
In 2000, 53% of infants born through ART were multiple births, compared to 3% of births in the general population. The twin rate was 22 times higher than the general population; the triplet and higher multiples rate was 50 times higher. Their higher risk for birth defects and low birth weight add to already over-burdened health care costs." (Marie Anderson and John Bruchalski)
Many couples cannot afford to bring up more than one child at a time and hence in the case of multiple pregnancies, couples are often given the option of reduction. This puts the couple under psychological distress. Here they have spent so much money to acquire a baby that they have wanted for so long and now one of their babies will be killed. Not only that, it also increases the risks of affecting the pregnancy. Further multiple pregnancies can also be life threatening to the mother and increases the chances of fetal abnormalities. Such occurrences can lead to severe psychological conditions and be stressful for the couple.
CONCLUSION
My view about the act of utilizing assisted reproductive techniques is that they should be limited to some form of techniques and others should be abolished and banned. In the gender screening techniques, like the case studied above one can only imagine the psychological impact on the three sons. If not all three then at least on of them would think that their mother discriminates between their children and her true happiness lies in having a daughter and not a son. Further, discarding embryos of undesired sex is outright wrong and I consider it no less than murder. Humans are beginning to disrespect nature's gift and discarding off what they don't want and trying to get what they do want. I see man...
Such people who wish to have just a particular sex of the baby are practicing a new level of discrimination. Moreover in my view if an infertile couple opts for techniques where the embryo is the result of their own genetic material then that should be allowed. Using genetic material of anyone else would make him or her, the biological father or mother and couples should aim that their child even if a result of assisted techniques should be their biological child as well. Hence in conclusion I would like to say that the idea of donating ovum or sperms should not be practiced as besides the ethical reasons, donating ovum can also be harmful for the woman.
References
1) Tomorrow's Child - Plot Synopsis [online website] Available at http://www.vh1.com/movies/movie/35838/plot.jhtml[Accessed on: 07/09/2005]
2) Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Instruction on respect for human life in its origin and on the dignity of procreation: replies to certain questions of the day (22 February 1987), Vatican City.
3) Steinbock B. Life before birth: the moral and legal status of embryos and fetuses. New York, Oxford University Press, 1992. Pages: 59-71.
4) Claudia Kalb with Karen Springen - "Brave New Babies" [online website] Available at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3990134/site/newsweek/[Accessed on 07/09/2005]
5) McAllister J., Ethics with special application to the medical and nursing professions, 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Saunders, 1955. Page: 223.
6) The Women's Health Council - "Position Paper on Assisted Human Reproduction: The Health and Social Implications for Women" [online website] Available at http://www.whc.ie/publications/position_reprod.html[Accessed on: 07/09/2005]
7) Marie Anderson and John Bruchalski - Assisted Reproductive Technologies are Anti-Woman [online website] Available at http://www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/programs/rlp/04anderson.htm[Accessed on: 07/09/2005]
