Explore the moral issues surrounding the right to a child.

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  1. Explore the moral issues surrounding the right to a child. (25)

In 1998 the United Nations developed the human rights that declared that everyone has “a right to marry and found a family free from constraint.” So therefore everyone has the right to have a child. Infertility is a controversial topic in relation to the right to a child and being infertile breaches this fundamental right, as being infertile is when you are unable to reproduce due to numerous reasons, some natural and some due to lifestyle choices. So therefore is it the right of science of help those who are infertile? A solution to being infertile is IVF, a process of outside the body conception using either using the sperm and egg of a partner or donor. This process is very expensive as it can cost up to £5,000 plus if you are not eligible for the NHS treatment and has many different viewpoints regarding the process.

There are many ethical dilemmas raised by the use of IVF, such as spare embryos that currently may be kept up until fourteen days for experimentation. The RC church in 1987 published the Donum Vitae, shortly after the birth of Louise Brown, the first ever test tube baby, they accepted the first ever test tube baby as a gift but had strong doubts about the ethics behind the process of IVF. As according to Pope Pius XI in his papal encyclical, life begins at conception. So therefore the destruction spare embryos from IVF is viewed as murder by the RC church and most other Christian denominations. Those who follow situation ethics, would be influenced by Joseph Fletcher who was not negative towards IVF, as he believed that there are higher values in a relationship than the actual biological relationship, to him what mattered was the outcome which is pregnancy, which some would argue is completely ethical as God enabled humans to have the ability to do this. IVF is possible without the destruction of embryos, though the success chances are lowered which would also result in a wasted embryo, but isn’t that just the same as a natural miscarriage?

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Other fertility treatments such as AID, the process where a donor sperm is injected into a woman or AIH, which is where the husband’s sperm is injected into the wife. Paul Ramsay, a protestant opposes the idea of AID, as he believes that reproduction should only be within marriage, as that is one of the only ways we remain faithful to God, as using a donor sperm is considered to be adultery and breaks the vows of marriage. RC Church also believes that AID is morally wrong as it goes against religious teaching such as the Ten Commandments, “thou ...

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