A range of side effects has been reported in donors undergoing all of the above. Donation also makes demands on a donor's time, energy, and emotions. (Burfoot, 1999, p. 269)
For women who are receiving IVF, with their own Ova these side effects and ensuing risks are likely to be palatable, as the lasting effect if all goes well is a full term healthy child. For Ova donors the incentive of a pure, altruistic act might not be enough to allow her to make a discernible decision of sacrifice vs. reward, and this would likely be particularly true in the case of young women, who are less likely to have experience with infertility and who relatively recently experienced the hormonal turmoil of puberty, which is comparatively minor, as noted by some, to the artificial hormonal syncing and stimulating that occurs prior to Ovum retrieval. Ehrensaft stresses throughout her work that the process of donorship is an exceedingly emotional process which can seriously effect the lives of those who chose to donate, the procedures are invasive and time consuming and the medical aspects of artificial hormone therapy create havoc in the mind and body of the individual donor. (2005, pp. 90-97)
While some argue that compensating Ovum donors beyond a cost incurred basis, without cap could potentially result in recipient family deception where a donor might unethically and possibly illegally embezzle significant funds from the recipient couple. This rare but controversial occurrence has been sensationalized in some surrogate deception situations as well as in adoption scandals, which have occurred over the years. (O'Hanlon, 1997, p. 8) Another, scandalous concern associated with embryo and ovum donation has also occurred with regard to unscrupulous physicians misappropriating genome materials, which again has occurred in a limited fashion over the years, partly in response to limitations of legitimate opportunities for embryo retrieval for scientific research or reproductive use and partly as a result of simple greed, as in the case of surrogate or donor scandals. (Bender, 2003, p. 1)
To counter these ethical concerns one must understand that their occurrence is exceedingly rare, but fear is generally associated with these practices, as individuals seeking such care are in an very precarious and some would say desperate emotional state, thinking only of successful pregnancy and the development of a family. (Ehrensaft, 2005, pp. 95, 246) it is also possible that these unscrupulous events occurred as a result of limited supervision, which often occurs with regard to early medical bioethical technology use. Hamberger suggests that this could be countered by legislation developing a cap on non-expense related compensation to donors. (February 2007, p. 53) Another issue of bioethical concern is the development of a system where anonymity and/or non-anonymity is legislated in the case of genome donation. Hamberger makes clear that this issue is not easily answered as removing anonymity from the picture seriously reduces the likely hood of donor participation and conversely demanding anonymity may eliminate the possibility of close relative or friend donation, which for many couples is a viable and reasonable option. Hamberger's suggestion, to resolve this conflict is to develop a legislative model that mirrors that of Finland or Iceland, where donor anonymity or non-anonymity is left for all parties involved to decide, therefore reducing the limitation effect of non-anonymity and the recipient fear of being unable to explain to a child beget of this process their genetic and gestational history. (February 2007, p. 53) These sentiments are mirrored by Ehrensaft when she demonstrates the fact that making such choices, on the part of the donor and the recipient is an exceedingly personal process and that as such it should be treated with individuation in decisions regarding awareness or lack there of. (2005, p. 105) Ehrensaft's work, considered a seminal work on the development of the psychological and social aspects of new reproductive technologies stresses that individuation of all decisions in the process must be ensured, as well as the increased awareness of donation options to be stressed to the public. (2005)
One final thought on the ethic of care associated with embryo and ovum donation is regarding faith, as faith often dictates very personal decisions individuals make and the ethical considerations of advanced reproductive technology verge on life giving issues...
The majority of women can return to their normal routine the next day ("In Vitro Fertilization"). In most cases total bed rest is not required unless there is some risk associated with the development of OHSS ("In Vitro Fertilization"). The NIH further explains that women who utilize IVF must take the hormone progesterone for at least two months following the embryo transfer ("In Vitro Fertilization"). The hormone is taken through
Secondary risk factors are high E2 serum levels or rising levels, more than 20-25 follicles in both ovaries, the number of eggs retrieved, stimulation agents used, hCG administration, and pregnancy. Younger women are more prone to the syndrome as they are more responsive to gonadotropins and have more follicles than older women. Findings suggested that a lower body mass index carries a risk. Women with PCOS are more sensitive
Additionally, the utilitarian position presents the advantage of objectively quantifying the interests of everyone affected by the decision, for the sole purpose of promoting common welfare. Thus, harvesting, fertilizing, genetically screening, implanting and researching human embryos at the risk of damaging or destroying them - is entirely justified from this perspective, and any progressive endeavor is encouraged. Nevertheless, this approach might involuntarily discourage many IVF clients as it appears to
Going back further, the same religious principals also inspired opposition to organ transplants and blood transfusions; before that, the Catholic Church strictly forbade any forensic scientific research, necessitating the need to dissect cadavers for medical education entirely in secret (Levine, 2008). Just as the news media are partially at fault today for their failure to distinguish legitimate concerns from ludicrous fears in connection with the ongoing political debate over American
Christian Biotechnology: Not a Contradiction in Terms Presented with the idea of "Bioethics" most people in the scientific community today immediately get the impression of repressive, Luddite forces wishing to stifle research and advancement in the name of morality and God. Unfortunately, this stereotype too often holds true. If one looks over the many independent sites on the Internet regarding bioethics, reads popular magazines and publications, or browses library shelves for
against human cloning. The writer explores both sides of the issue and comes down against its use or possibility of its use. There were four sources used to complete this paper. Over the past few decades, medical advances have made life better than ever before. People are living longer, their health is better and their quality of life is above any previous standard. Today, people can be cured of illnesses
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