Fertility Case Study

Fertility Case Study

Abstract

This case study focuses on ethical consequences of the scenario. It also assesses the risks involved and attempts to offer a solution to the problem in the scenario. Without the knowledge of his patients, a doctor in a fertility clinic uses his own sperm during his procedures to inseminate the said patients. It would also be prudent to note that he violates an employee’s obligation to legal and ethical justice by issuing threats to her. To a large extent, the parties involved in such cases are subjected to years of pain and trauma. The scenario has specific focus on patients who are deprived of their rights in such clinical settings. As a consequence of the doctor’s actions, children are likely to be exposed to health conditions that would have been avoided. Milunsky (n. d) points out that family history is important in screening and prevention of a disease. The case study features the principles of biomedical ethics which are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; being truthful, respecting autonomy and doing no harm. It also highlights how the said principles advance the rights of patients (Madeira, 2020). The author further points out that since loopholes exist in legislation, it would be prudent to pass a fertility bill. This bill ordinarily ensures that the affected patients can hold doctors accountable for such an offence.

Introduction

This case study focuses on a fertility clinic doctor (Dr. H) who is involved in what could be described as an ethical blunder. The said doctor uses his own sperm to conduct a several couples who are unaware of what is transpiring. Later on, one of his employees (Mary) finds out what this particular doctor has been up tp. Dr. H threatens her with job loss and also makes it known to her that he will ensure that she does not find any other form of employment elsewhere. It would be prudent to note that Mary cannot afford to lose the job since she had relocated not long ago so as to be with her mother who was unwell. A few weeks later, Mary reports Dr. H to the state licensing board. She does not identify herself while filing the said deport. To her surprise, she finds out that the doctor relocated to another state with his family. To a large extent, this case study will examine what the above scenario entails, the risks involved and solutions to such a problem.

Discussion

Insemination fraud is a concept that shocks me. This is more so the case given that I have largely been unaware of its prevalence. The said occurrence is not a new matter in fertility ethics. This is more so the case given that research has shown that unaware patients were found to have been inseminated with their doctor’s sperm as early as the 70s (Madeira, 2019). In such a situation, the unknowing patients are not only deprived of their rights, but they also undergo pain and trauma for many years. In addition, a survey conducted in 1987 indicates about two percent of doctors admitted that they had used their own sperm to help struggling couples by impregnating the women in such cases. Even though the said doctors are charged by the federal government, legal issues related to artificial insemination still come up to this day (Madeira, 2019).

Further, this particular situation poses a risk to families subjected to the said practice owing to the fact that it can result to health conditions that could have been avoided. Milusksy (n. d) suggests that in some instances, disease prevention is highly dependent upon screening so as to assess the family history, and thus be able to take the relevant measures to avert some diseases and/or conditions. This is to say that the victims of this crime are at a higher risk due to the fact that, doctors may identify the wrong family history or might not be able to identify the family history of a disease. Moreover, there is also the aspect of emotional and ethical implications of insemination fraud. Marcus (2011) points out that children suffer from pain and trauma after they find out that they are not the biological children of a certain father figure - yet they grew up knowing that they were. This misconduct has a negative impact on wide range of stakeholders including, but not limited to; the doctor and his family (i.e. given that the doctor could in this case develop an unprofessional attachment to the child following its birth), the child, family members and the child’s parents. In a rather informative article, Madeira (2020) revealed how continued patient-doctor relationship was a prevalent risk associated with fertility fraud. Madeira (2020) suggests that some doctors will “continue medical relationships with their patients and even their doctor-conceived daughters… display unusually strong emotions, or violate other boundaries.” This clearly goes beyond the ethical boundaries of patient-doctor relationship.

The above ethical and legal issues may seem be clear to many and to a large extent, they bring about disgust and rage. Also, from a historical perspective, holding physicians legally accountable for their actions has been hard. It would be prudent to note that physicians have to uphold the biomedical ethics which they commit to embrace from the onset. These could be inclusive of, but they are not limited to; being truthful, respecting autonomy, and doing no harm. Therefore, fertility doctors have obligations that they have to commit to in terms of their patients’ rights. The said patients, as Madeira (2020) points out, have the right to receive gametes that have been screened appropriately to confirm donor identity and physical resemblance. The physicians also have to ensure that their patients are free from certain genetic diseases that happen to be transmittable. In our present case, Dr. H can be legally punished since he also deprived the employee of her legal and ethical duty of reporting misconduct.