Ivf Research Paper

In Vitro Fertilization, or IVF, is a medical procedure in which a fetus is conceived using extraordinary means. IVF can be used for several reasons but overall, the procedure (more often than not) aids couples who have difficulty conceiving. If it does not aid a couple in conceiving, IVF can also be used to aid individuals who wish to have children through means of a donor. IVF is an assistive reproductive technology (ART) that joins two gametes, a sperm and an egg, to form a zygote. After the woman has undergone hormonal therapy (superovulation), which works to stimulate the follicles, the mature eggs are retrieved. The sperm is provided by the donor/partner and fertilized in one of two ways: a dish or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Thus,
these gametes are joined and fertilized outside of conventional measures. After the zygotes are formed and screened, they are then implanted into a woman’s uterus or fallopian tube. Following implantation, pregnancy tests are done to assess if the implantation was successful. IVF itself is a very controversial topic, and for many reasons. Naturally, the controversy remains due to the negative connotation that the procedure carries. The beginning of life outside of conventional means, without the procreative act of sex between man and woman, a fetus is created. Depending on one’s stance, IVF may not be intrinsically wrong. However, there are many strong, logical arguments against the procedure. IVF is an ART, which is performed outside of conventional means, separate from the natural production of a zygote. From my stance, IVF has some problematic characteristics that make me second guess the morality of the procedure and its practice. Important characteristics that influence my stance include its associated health risks, limited availability, violation of natural law, violation of the innate nature of sex, disregard for human life, and leads to human beings playing the role of God. Firstly, IVF is very costly, so costly that even those who are insured payed great amounts of money – which greatly influences its availability.
According to Shannon and Kockler, insurance companies are essentially able to make constituents within their policies that require them to only pay a portion of the procedure. This leads to the problem of high technology costs. Will only the wealthy have access to IVF? For most, it will not be covered by insurance and to make availability even more limited, “one cycle of ART with elective testing would cost a couple approximately $17, 715” (Shannon & Kockler 96). The mere cost, even without considering the community’s technological capabilities (which also affects availability), makes this type of ART attainable by only a certain group of people, which is an ethical dilemma. When a service is only attainable by the rich we encounter a problem that looks to the inequality between social classes, directly affected by the gap between the rich and
poor. Secondly, IVF violates natural law and leaves room for individuals to disregard human life through the creation and destruction of embryos. Disregarding one’s beliefs, religious other otherwise, many agree that IVF is unconventional – that is the making a zygote by means that are atypical (i.e. not an act of sex). Directly stemming from this is the idea that IVF is intrinsically unnatural, which brings about many questions. This is also problematic because we are still unable to determine the moral status of the embryo. Questions regarding the beginning of human life and whether it begins at fertilization or implantation. Furthermore, depending on when human life actually beings, we must discern those implications. IVF jeopardizes the dignity of human life. According to Vatican 2270, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception … must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (Pope Paul VI). If life begins at fertilization, IVF disregards human life through the destruction of zygotes once the individual has a successful pregnancy or otherwise.
Along with the disregard for human life, the creation and destruction of embryos occurs regularly, in many ways. Firstly, many embryos are created and do not successfully implanted. Superovulation procedures include planning that,
[allows] oocyte retrievals to be performed on specific days of the week, or in batches” (Elder, Kay, Dale, Brian 152). Secondly, According to the CDC, only 37.3% of the ART cycles resulted in live births. Thus, over 60% of ART cycles were unsuccessful and although many factors influence the success, those are many lives brought into the world and lost whether unsuccessful or destroyed. Secondly, if the implantation of several embryos occurs, clinicians recommend fetal reduction, or abortion of selective fetuses to prevent risks during gestation. The abortion of a fetus is the ending of a human life, which goes against Catholicism’s ideology (respect for life) and Kantian ethics (taking of life is always wrong). IVF essentially creates that environment wherein the destruction of human life is precipitated, which causes my moral questioning of IVF.
IVF also causes human beings to become directly involved with the reproduction process – not as stewards of the process, as God intended, but rather allows them to play God. Human beings play God in several ways, through the extraordinary measures that lead to fertilization, as well as the manner in which individuals can be selective in terms of which ones to implant or abort, as in fetal reduction. Aligning with this, Catholicism abides by the thought that “by engaging in assisted reproduction, humans are technologically interfering with a process that should remain under god's dominion” (Banerjee). Within IVF, there is no distinction between god and human – creating an environment wherein humans carry out duties that are meant to be under his dominion.

IVF also robs the purpose of sex as god intended – which is to be a unitive and procreative act.
In IVF: Answering the Ethical Objections, Toulmin states that following fertilization in a dish, “zygosis occurs just as though the sperm had arrived through sexual intercourse, and implantation and gestation are free to proceed normally” (9). Sure, one may argue that the sperm and egg fertilize in the same mechanism, however that is a poor argument. Scientists are able to genetically modify plants to be resistant to types of pesticides, does this mean that their survival is natural? Not quite. Therefore, the mechanism is the same, sure, however in actuality the procedure robs conventional, procreative sex. According to Human Vitae, sex is a unitive and procreative process, thus it is intended to bring couples closer together, while remaining open to human life. When IVF is brought into the equation, one may say that clearly it is open to human life, however, the problem with IVF is that it robs reproduction/sex of its unitive act. Sex is no longer the factor bringing the child into the world; it is now hormones and medical equipment and not solely the two individuals who love each other.
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This is problematic because as Paul Ramsey states, “God created nothing apart from His love; and without the divine love was not anything made that was made. Neither should there be among men and women” (Shannon & Kockler ). It is evident that IVF does not align with these standards – the creation of life is owed to the work of the third party – not those who would like to bring life into the world. This simple fact, devoid of any love the parents may have towards their unborn child, is irrelevant when considering the factors that bring the child to life. It violates the unitive and procreative nature of sex and ignores the love that God intended to be present between couples and their reproductive capacity. There are also health risks associated with IVF – some that excited parents may neglect because they are too preoccupied with the idea of having a child. These are truly dangerous health risks that, if overlooked and ignored, can be problematic. The process of superovulation can lead to the rupture of the woman’s ovary because it is stimulating the follicles to grow and become mature eggs. Again, this is unnatural manipulation of the reproductive process and the woman’s anatomy. Another health risk is ectopic pregnancy, which is when the embryo unfortunately implants (most commonly) within the fallopian tube, which is where fertilization general occurs, not implantation. Implantation implies that the embryo will stick to the fallopian tube and develop within the fallopian tube. This is a fatal health risk as the woman can lead to rupture of the fallopian tube and cause the women to bleed out. There is a high risk of multiple pregnancies and, as mentioned above precipitates fetal reduction, or the direction abortion of embryos. IVF also robs embryos of human dignity in the sense that the bringing of life, creation of the fetus, becomes a commodity. When human biological material becomes a commodity, or something that is easily manipulated and brought to use when wanted, the meaning of reproduction is lessened. The value of a child, or fetus, becomes something that can be bought and sold, not something as special as it is in reality – a gift from God. When we reach a certain point, the meaning of reproduction (between two people) and the value of children is lessened. At which point are embryos distinct between property versus a human, with equal dignity and rights of an actual person? Lastly, IVF may be a result of the societal pressure for women to conceive and bear biological children. This ultimately begs the question on whether or not such a procedure would exist if such a pressure did not exist. According to Wanda Deifelt, a feminine ethicist who discusses motherhood there is a danger in the “compulsory motherhood” wherein women may connect their self esteem to motherhood, “in which women only find value and self-esteem only through procreation” (108). Essentially, women may attach their identity to their reproductive capabilities and IVF perpetuates that pressure as well – which puts women at risk for mental health issues.