In Vitro Fertilization

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The Process and Ethics Involving In Vitro Fertilization
On July 25, 1978 the first successful in vitro fertilization baby was born in Kershaw’s Cottage Hospital in Lancashire England. Louise Brown as she was named brought forth a new hope and era for making babies especially for people who had been diagnosed infertile or sterile. This marked the first time that a human offspring had been created outside the body from the union of an egg and a sperm. The people responsible for this medical breakthrough were Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards whom had been trying to develop a method to conquer infertility. They were successful with Louise Brown and it has paved the way for many couples that cannot produce offspring for medical reasons that cannot be corrected. In this paper I will discuss the process of in vitro fertilization and the ethical arguments involved in it.
Recent advances in the biomedical sciences allow us to intervene in, and sometimes take control of, the processes of life and death. Not only can death be kept waiting by the bedside by the use of medicine or machines, doctors and scientists can now also intervene in, and, initiate the process of life: cloning and in vitro fertilization (Cooper and Glazer 34).
It is not surprising that an ethics issue has now come into play, because of medical breakthroughs that enable doctors to create, prolong, or end lives. Although there is great enthusiasm behind these breakthroughs people still argue the fact that God created you the way you are and that’s how it should stay. The argument to that point is that, why should these infertile couples miss out on the miracle of life, the birth of a child they created? Take the comments by a dean of an Australian Medical School on the teaching of medical ethics: Like any other lifelong clinical teacher I have firm views about such topics as euthanasia, continuing severe pain, acceptable and unacceptable risks of various treatments, the appropriate use of life support systems and numerous other matters of this sort which I discuss with my colleagues, assistants, and students but would not wish to teach dogmatically since much depends on the religious and ethical views which they may have and which also must command my respect (“Medical Ethics”). Since the study of ethics is all about what is right and what is wrong, it is not possible to come to a correct...

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...at even though couples cannot produce their own genetic child they shouldn’t have to remain childless. They could make something good out of a seemingly bad thing by giving a child without a family a home, love, and a life, through adoption. There is an alternative to infertility without relying on scientists, test tubes, and small chances. They can create their own miracle by giving life to an already-born deserving child.
Besides the issues stated above, there are many more arguments concerning the ethicalness of in vitro fertilization. I do not believe one single conclusion can ever be drawn from these arguments. One can form his or her own personal opinion, but there will never be a single right or wrong answer.
Based on the arguments I have read and learned about while writing this paper, I have drawn my own conclusions regarding the ethicalness of in vitro fertilization. I believe an embryo of IVF is a human being from the moment of conception and therefore its life should be treated just the same as a child that was not conceived through IVF. There is no difference, all of the same “ingredients” are used, there is just a different way that the child was created.

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