Social aspects in assisted reproduction

European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 2016

Infertility is a condition affecting an increasing number of individuals all over the world. In recent years, this phenomenon has spread across both western countries and developing countries, thus developing the features of a pandemic. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged that infertility should be considered a disease to all intents and purposes, as it diminishes the health and wellbeing of the individuals who suffers from it. At present, the most effective means to contain the spread of infertility are essentially prevention and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). With reference to the latter, although most of these techniques are routinely used in the majority of countries, they are still subject to medical, ethical and political debates. There are huge variations noted when the regulatory legislation adopted by different countries to govern infertility treatment in various countries all over the world are reviewed. In fact, it has to be recognized that ART legislation depends on a variety of factors, such as social structure, political choices, ethical issues and religious beliefs. This makes it apparently impossible to create a standard regulation for different countries, especially in case of controversial issues like gamete and embryo donation, embryo cryopreservation or surrogacy.

Gendernyi Zhurnal Ya, vol 3 (34): 33-36.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have been available in Poland since mid-1980s, and as of today there are over 40 clinics (both private and public), which offer a wide range of treatment methods. At the same time, no countryspecific legislation has been implemented, and Polish authorities have not ratified the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine from 1997. In the face of demographic crisis, and opinion polls showing majority support for the state sponsored IVF program, the ruling Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska) introduced a regulation issued by the Minister of Health. On the 1st of June 2013 the government introduced a three-year plan of state-funded IVF treatments for infertile people, which is about to cover partly the costs for 15.000 heterosexual couples (married or not) in total. 1 This decision was applauded by the people affected by infertility, but did not fill the legal vacuum concerning the field of biotechnologies in general.

Journal Al-Az̤vā , 2022

Infertility is the diminishing or complete absence of an ability of a person to produce offspring. A significant clinical and religious issue influences people of reproductive ages, in every corner of the world. Looking for a solution for infertility isn't just reasonable, yet additionally encouraged in Islam as it is a human instinct for children. "O Lord! Grant us spouses and offsprings who will be the comfort of our eyes." (25:74) Various methods to address infertility have entered the realm of science and technology. These ways include In-vitro Fertilization, Artificial Insemination, Cryopreservation, Surrogacy, and cloning. These techniques, on the other hand, are linked to several other legal, ethical, and religious issues. This article explores the legality of assisted reproductive technologies on the scale of Islamic teachings. The question has always weighed the maintenance of a family's legacy against overcoming infertility within a marriage. Certainly, sharia rulings should be applied through reasoning to resolve the issue of infertility.

Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2006

2015

(In)Fertile Citizens reconsiders topics of reproductive citizenship in relation to the specific cultural contexts, local/global exchanges and social/technological networks they emerge from. The book aims to explore these issues adopting two axes of research. The first one (Part I and II) calls for cooperation between anthropological and legal studies and aims at exploring its potentialities in the field of reproductive rights and ART. Papers by Joan Bestard, Judit Sándor, Lina Papadopoulou, Enrica Bracchi, Vasiliki Kokota, Anna Carastathis, Michael Nebeling Petersen, Aspa Chalkidou and Despina Naziri closely examine issues of politics, citizenship and human rights such as: (i) politics of reproduction and exclusions/inclusions in terms of age, gender, sexuality, economic background, (ii) subtle social mechanisms leading to exclusion of (in)fertile citizens, especially women, (iii) human rights concerns and laws that define who is eligible to become parent and who is not, (iv) the socially constructed value of “having children from one’s own genetic material” and how this is being informed by the legal framework, (v) the medicalisation of conception as both an opportunity and a threat for personal autonomy, (vi) the ways in which reproductive “freedom” as a manifestation of one’s autonomy is transformed into a “right” to assisted reproduction, (vii) which kinship units are to be valued and supported according to the local cultural-legal-religious contexts (the couple, the mother or father to be, single mothers, “other” parents, the child, the nuclear family, the extended family, etc). A second axis of interest (Part III and IV) invites to reflect upon the ethnographic and analytical value of comparison, by investigating ART implementation in different neighbouring European and non-European countries and transnational reproductive networks emerging within, across and beyond them. Papers by Lia Lombardi, Christodoulos Bellas and Albert Dicran Matossian, Ivi Daskalaki, Aglaia Chatjouli, Sven Bergmann, Polina Vlasenko, Burcu Mutlu, Giula Zanini examine the availability of infertility treatments and of specific techniques and procedures in each national context. Individual responses to ART are the result of a number of factors including the way in which people experience infertility and reproductive expectations, the understandings they display of different techniques and the practical, legal and moral accessibility of treatments both locally and translocally.

Innovations In Assisted Reproduction Technology [Working Title]

There is no doubt that for a couple who are having difficulties in conceiving, having a child is an objective good. However, it is also indisputable that assisted reproduction techniques raise clear ethical issues. In order to begin this bioethical reflection, it should be clearly established that the early embryo, which can be manipulated or destroyed using these techniques, is a living being of our species. We believe this is unquestionable from a biological point of view, and it therefore deserves our full respect. The bioethical assessment of assisted reproduction techniques includes analysis of the embryo losses caused by their selection and manipulation through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, 'social freezing' or the possible lack of rigour in the information provided by the clinics involved, to which must be added the higher morbidity reported in babies born as a result of these procedures.

Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Psychologica, 2017

The aim of the conducted studies was to learn about the opinions of women suffering from infertility regarding the most controversial issues connected with assisted reproduction, which are still being publicly discussed in Poland, despite the Act from 2015 regulating these issues. The studies compared opinions of women in different stages of experiencing infertility. The studied group comprised of 884 women: undergoing treatment, raising a child (born as a result of treatment or adopted), undergoing adoption procedures and those who decided to remain childless. The Attitudes Towards Bioethical Problems of Infertility Scale was an original tool used in the studies. Polish women have liberal views on most ethically controversial issues. The tested subjects had conservative views on the issue of IVF availability for homosexual couples (over 60% of subjects had conservative views) and IVF availability for unmarried couples (over 40% of subjects had conservative views). A comparison of opinions regarding the bioethical dilemmas of women on different stages of infertility revealed some interesting and statistically significant results (p < .001). Techniques where the partner's cells are used were widely accepted (over 80%), contrary to techniques where a donor's cells are used (accepted by approx. 40% of the subjects). Significant information concerning bioethical dilemmas on infertility treatment can be used to predict decisions concerning the course of infertility treatment. The gathered opinions constitute an important voice in the public debate on legal regulations in the area of bioethical issues connected with assisted reproduction.

TEME, 2019

Third-party reproduction refers to the use of gametes, embryos or gestation that have been provided by a third party to enable an infertile individual or couple to become parent(s). The social, legal, and ethical acceptability of third-party reproduction varies around the world. In Serbia, there is a noticeable lack of data on attitudes towards infertility treatments involving the use of donated gametes, as well as surrogacy arrangements, due to the fact that this practice is banned in this country. The aim of this paper is to examine the attitudes of infertile women in Serbia towards third-party reproduction, i.e. gamete donation and surrogate motherhood as potential parts of their own infertility treatments. The sample included 50 infertile women involved in the program of in vitro fertilization, which amounts to at least 10% of the total number of women who go through the program of state-funded in vitro fertilization in Novi Sad each year. The questionnaire, constructed for the ...

Human Reproduction Update, 1997

Introduction 173 Materials and methods 173 Results 175 Conclusions 183 Acknowledgements 183 References 183 This report describes the ethical and legal aspects of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) that have been instituted in European countries. The data were collected from questionnaires circulated to fertility centres in 39 countries in Europe. Ninety six ART centres were located in 30 of these countries. Nine countries do not offer ART services. According to the survey, there are approximately 516 centres in Europe, which represent approximately 60% of the world ART centres. The survey included information regarding regulation of ART services, access to these services, attitude toward genetic material donation, cryopreservation of pre-embryos, surrogacy, manipulation of gametes and pre-embryos, research on pre-embryos and multiple fetal pregnancy reduction. At present, the majority of countries in Europe do not have established legislation pertaining to the various aspects of ART practice. The study reviews the ethical and legal aspects of ART practice in Europe.

2021

At the present development stage of society, the issues of le- gal regulation and development of a reproductive technology mechanism are becoming more and more urgent in people&#39;s lives. An important place in solving these issues is given to the law-making policy of the state in this area1, which makes it possible to overcome difficult life situations in cases of the expressed intention of persons to become parents but having medical obstacles to this. The sought-after social patterns, supported by a legal component, include reproductive tech- nology, which is lagging in matters of regulation in Russia. Indeed, attempts have been made for many years to under- stand, accept, and apply reproductive possibilities in the ev- eryday life in legal science. However, the Federal Law &quot;On Assisted Reproductive Technology and Guarantees of Citi- zens&#39; Rights in Their Implementation&quot; has not been adopted in Russia, which undoubtedly intensifies legal discussions in this area. W...

European Journal of Law and Public Administration, 2016

This article aims to describe the main aspects of human reproduction, both the methods of treatment used and other practices related to medically-assisted human reproduction. The article addresses the ethical and legal issues arising from the use of MAR techniques. We have analyzed the legislation of many EU member countries to determine the differences between their regulatory systems and the principles by which these countries are guided.

2003

The social and institutional background of this research can be summarized as the relation between public and governmental policies on the one hand, and the experience of patients and IVF experts on the other. Namely, one third of all pregnancies achieved in state-funded in vitro fertilizations (IVF) obscure some ethical and health issues, especially among patients who abandon the state-funded IVF programme in Serbia. The goal of the current research is to identify, describe and understand ethical and social issues that parents encounter in attempts to fulfil their idea of a sovereign (parental) life through IVF. The method comprised a tri-level analysis based on semi-structured interviews with participants who exhibit personal experiences of basic ethical principles and social and health needs within IVF. The results obtained indicate that all three explored levels of patients' experience build a picture of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) as a means of a sovereign or good (parental) life. However, the cultural image of the fulfilment of expected parental social roles resulted in a denial of autonomy and led to self-abnegation through silent acceptance of unethical practices. There is an overlap of the margins of secular ideas and roles on the one hand, and religiosity on the other, making such consent socially acceptable and more easily explainable. Finally, the conclusion reached is that apparently a decrease in sovereignty of parental decisions causes a loss of trust in state clinics and medical procedures, reduces solidarity (as both a religious and secular social value) and establishes norms and patterns of social injustice and inequality.

European journal of human genetics : EJHG, 2006

The interface between assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and genetics comprises several sensitive and important issues that affect infertile couples, families with severe genetic diseases, potential children, professionals in ART and genetics, health care, researchers and the society in general. Genetic causes have a considerable involvement in infertility. Genetic conditions may also be transmitted to the offspring and hence create transgenerational infertility or other serious health problems. Several studies also suggest a slightly elevated risk of birth defects in children born following ART. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has become widely practiced throughout the world for various medical indications, but its limits are being debated. The attitudes towards ART and PGD vary substantially within Europe. The purpose of the present paper was to outline a framework for development of guidelines to be issued jointly by European Society of Human Genetics and European S...

Zbornik Matice srpske za prirodne nauke, 2004

One of the main characteristics of the new millennium is the affirmation of human rights in all aspects of human existence, with the intention of turning declarative statements into reality. Development of up-to-date assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and their application in infertility treatment have raised numerous ethical, legal, religious, social and other questions. In vitro fertilization, donation of gametes, embryos and pre-embryos, cryopreservation of gametes, embryos, ovarian and testicular tissues, embryo transfer, genetic reproductive techniques, cloning and other sophisticated methods used in infertility treatment require cooperation between the medical and legal professions. Ethical aspects of human reproduction and assisted fertilization are based on full respect of the life of an individual even before conception, from pre-embryo stage, via embryo stage and fetus stage to a newborn infant. Regarding investigative and clinical projects, this standpoint implies t...