A fourth treatment that is used to help infertile couples have children is IVF. In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is a process in which the egg cells are fertilised by the sperm outside of the womb. After the egg has been fertilised, the embryo(s) are then implanted back into the woman’s uterus, and the pregnancy continues much like if the baby had been natural conceived. IVF is often used in cases of tubal damage, endometriosis, low sperm count and mucus hostility. As there are usually 2-5 embryos implanted into the woman, there is also an increased risk of multiple births, although this has risk has been stemmed to an extent as there is now a law which prevents women from having more than a certain number of embryos implanted at once.
When the couples IVF treatment has finished, they may have some spare embryos that were not used during the treatment. If they decided that they do not want to freeze them for future use, or destroy them they can donate them. Embryos that were not used for IVF treatment and were donated by the couple can anonymously donate them to other couples for use in their treatment.
a)(ii) Explain Christian attitudes, and the attitudes of ONE other religion, to these treatments.
Christians agree with infertility treatments because they feel that it is good to use technology to provide couples with the happiness of having children. However, they also say that the egg and the sperm should be from the husband and wife, ie using In-Vitro Fertilisation or Artificial Insemination by Husband, as using a donor (AID or Surrogacy) means that the couple are not bonded by the fact that they created a child together and so, may not be as loving a relationship. Christians also believe that discarded embryos are foetus’ and so destruction of these is justified by the intentions of the couple – to produce a child. Finally, Christians agree with infertility treatments because they believe that it encourages people to adopt, something which is heavily encouraged in the Christian community.
On the other hand, Christians may disagree with infertility treatments, and firstly this is due to the fact that when IVF is used, several eggs are fertilised and so many of these are thrown away and discarded, which in the Roman Catholic church is considered to be the same as abortion. Also, Artificial Insemination and also Surrogacy require male masturbation and this is considered to be a sin in the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, Christians believe that children have a right to know who their parents are and this is prevented in AID and Surrogacy, therefore it is frowned upon especially in the Roman Catholic and Church of England denominations. Finally, Christians may disagree with infertility treatments as it can prevent a sex act, and this is considered to be an integral part of pregnancy.
Pope Pius XII of the Roman Catholic Church once described a donor being used to aid infertility as ‘mechanical adultery’ and this is because they believe that the mother and father should know each other and be married before pregnancy should be attempted. The Roman Catholic Church also believes that infertility treatments where spare embryos are created cannot be allowed. However, the Church of England has a different attitude to the Roman Catholics on the status of the embryo. Lord Habgood, (a former Anglican Archbishop of York,) said: - 'At this earliest stage of their existence, embryos do not have the moral value of persons. They are to be treated with respect, but essentially they are no different from the product of early miscarriages.'
Muslims agree with infertility treatments as they believe that it is just using medicine to bring family life, which all Muslims are expected to have. Muslims also agree with infertility as long as the egg and the sperm are from the mother and father (using AIH and IVF, which is the same as the Christians believe). They also believe that discarded embryos are foetus, and so their use is justified by the good intentions of the mother and father – not to kill them, but to create life.
In contrast to this, Muslims disagree with some other infertility treatments. Islamic lawyers have banned all other types of embryo technology (AID and Surrogacy), because they deny the child’s right to know its parents. This, in the eyes of Muslims, is equivalent to adoption and adultery (zina) which is strictly banned in Islam.
Marcia Inhorn, a medical anthropologist from the University of Michigan, said that ‘an adopted child makes relatively little sense makes in the Islamic world’ and that an adopted child is ‘really like a stranger in your ; you can love it and treat it very well and the Qur'an encourages this,’ she said, ‘but the scriptures don't allow legal adoption as it is practiced in the West. The child keeps its given name and does not inherit anything from the family’.
(a)(iii) Explain why religious people may have problems with transplant surgery.
Some Christian’s do not agree with transplant surgery. One first reason for this, is that they believe transplanting organs from the dead to the living is ‘playing God’ which is seen as a sin by many Christians. Christians also do not agree with paying for organs, as this is viewed as being exploiting the poor which is banned in the Bible. Some Christians also believe that donating living organs is a way of ‘loving your neighbour’ and therefore acceptable, however another group of Christians say that this is completely wrong and unjustifiable. This other group of Christians also believe that transplant surgery ignores the sanctity of life and also is equivalent to ‘playing God’, which is a sin. Furthermore, they also agree with many of the non-religious arguments against transplant surgery such as that it is very expensive, uses a lot of medical skill and money for a few people to benefit. Moreover, it raises moral questions concerning the actual time of someone’s death and whether surgeons try to keep someone alive, when their organs could be used to save somebody else. In addition to this, some Christians also believe that transplant surgery encourages the sale of organs from Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDC’s) to wealthier countries such as Britain, and so forces the issue of whether it is right for someone to sell their kidney if the alternative is starvation. Immoral private workers have been happy to collaborate in this abuse of the poor, which is banned in the Bible.
Most Muslims are against transplant surgery, and as a consequence do not carry donor cards. Muslims believe that transplanting from one human to another is against what Allah would want. Another reason why Muslims are against transplant surgery is because the Shari’ah teaches that nothing should be removed from the body after death, so organs should not be taken from Muslims who have died. This is because they believe that after death, they will go to heaven but in order to do this they need to have their body intact. Furthermore, they are also opposed to having a post mortem to determine the cause of death if it is needed, as they feel that their bodies may not be accepted into the next life if they are not left untouched. The Qur’an teaches that only God has the right to give and take life, and so transplanting organs is ‘playing God’ which is the greatest sin – shirk – in Islam. Also, Muslims believe in the sanctity of life, so life belongs to God. However, some Muslims say that transplants from a living donor (if the donor is a close relative) are acceptable. They agree as Muslim lawyers say it is OK, and the Muslim Law council of the United Kingdom say that Muslims can carry donor cards and have transplants. Also, Islam aims to do good in the world and help people, so this group of Muslims may argue that this is the reason why these people carry donor cards and have transplants.
