Part II: The Ethics of the Early Life Issues

6. Other Ethical Problems with New Reproductive Technologies

Groups, such as feminists, other than those who hold strictly pro-life or “traditional” ethical positions are examining the NRT and bringing other ethical issues forward as reservations.

This section gives a brief list of other ethical problems that do not necessarily directly pertain to the previously raised and strictly “life-related” issues.

[1]New reproductive technologies (including cloning)

• can result in genealogical confusion and the risk of unwitting marriages between close relatives.

• can lead to deception in the family as the price to pay to preserve the anonymity of gamete donors or “surrogate mothers”.

• will require the obtaining of enormous numbers of human ova, particularly for cloning experiments. Further fears are raised that this demand will lead to the exploitation of poor women, especially those in the developing world vulnerable to financial exploitation or government intimidation.

• involves the commodification, commercialization and exploitation of persons and processes.

• involves women and donors in serious physical and/or psychological risks.

• have a very low success rate and carry enormous financial costs. These make the cost incommensurate with the risks and problems.

• has already resulted in cases of “missing” embryos, or the wrong embryos being implanted accidentally.

• Involve the use of potentially dangerous fertility and hyperovulation drugs and surgical interventions.

• are increasingly resulting in long contentious disputes over custody in courts, leading to public distress and social confusion over the meaning of parenthood and the family.

• often results in serious medical consequences for the child conceived.

• opens the way for eugenic practices such as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and brings into being the concept of a “designer” or perfect child created according to specifications.

• increased rates of abortion when a child does not “work out”.

Feminist Critique

Feminist thinkers are increasingly objecting to IVF and related procedures saying they are exploitative and unfairly biased in favour of wealthy clients as well as laying almost all the physical and mental risks on the woman.

Failure Rates

The UK’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority reported in 1992 that between 1985 and 1990, the rate of live births as a result of IVF was between 8.6% and 12.5%.

Genetic Abnormalities Associated with NRT

Many studies have shown increased rates of birth defects, illnesses, and genetic abnormalities in children conceived through the various processes of artificial procreation[2].

---

[1] Adapted from “The Ethics of IVF” by Anthony Dyson. Mowbray, 1995.

[2] In the interests of brevity, specific references are not included here, but they can easily be found online at www.lifesite.net Enter the keywords, “IVF dangers” into the search engine.