Medical treatments for infertility
Infertility has become much more of a problem in the Western world in recent years with as many as 12.5 per cent of couples (about 1 in 7 couples) in the UK estimated to have fertility problems.
Fertility drugs can help some women, but the most successful fertility treatments involve medical technology:
In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) - when an egg from the woman is fertilised outside the womb using either the husband's or a donor's sperm and then replaced in the womb.
Artificial insemination by husband (AIM) - when the husband's sperm is inserted into his wife by mechanical means.
Artificial insemination by donor (AID) - when an anonymous man donates sperm which is inserted mechanically into the mother.
Egg donation - when an egg is donated by another woman, fertilised by IVF using the husband's sperm and then placed in the wife's womb by mechanical means.
Embryo donation - when both egg and sperm come from donors and are fertilised using IVF and then inserted into the wife's womb mechanically.
Surrogacy - either when the egg and sperm of a wife and husband are fertilised by IVF and then placed into another woman's womb; or when another woman is artificially inseminated by the husband's sperm. In both cases, after the birth the woman hands the baby to the husband and wife.
All the medical treatments now being used by couples in Britain are supervised by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, though there have been many arguments about their morality.
From 1 April 2005 children born from donated sperm, eggs or embryos (donor insemination - Dl) have the right to discover their genetic parents when they are eighteen. It is estimated that about 50,000 children have been born from donations, but only about ten per cent of those have been told that they have other genetic parents
From 1 April 2005 children born from donated sperm, eggs or embryos (donor insemination - Dl) have the right to discover their genetic parents when they are eighteen. It is estimated that about 50,000 children have been born from donations, but only about ten per cent of those have been told that they have other genetic parents
Non-religious arguments about fertility treatments
There are very few non-religious arguments against fertility treatments as most people accept all the treatments. However: • Some people are worried about surrogacy because of the legal situation about who is considered to be the mother. • Often the same people would also be worried about AID because of worries about who is the father, although these worries have been dealt with by a new law that allows 18-year-olds to be given the donor's identity. |