This document discusses abortion and artificial insemination. It defines abortion as terminating a pregnancy before viability and discusses the types of abortion including natural/spontaneous abortion, direct abortion, therapeutic abortion, eugenic abortion, and indirect abortion. It also discusses the moral issue around when a fetus becomes ensouled or a human being, with views ranging from conception to viability. Finally, it outlines the procedures for artificial insemination including sperm preparation, monitoring the woman's cycle, and depositing sperm intravaginally or intrauterally.
This document discusses abortion and artificial insemination. It defines abortion as terminating a pregnancy before viability and discusses the types of abortion including natural/spontaneous abortion, direct abortion, therapeutic abortion, eugenic abortion, and indirect abortion. It also discusses the moral issue around when a fetus becomes ensouled or a human being, with views ranging from conception to viability. Finally, it outlines the procedures for artificial insemination including sperm preparation, monitoring the woman's cycle, and depositing sperm intravaginally or intrauterally.
This document discusses abortion and artificial insemination. It defines abortion as terminating a pregnancy before viability and discusses the types of abortion including natural/spontaneous abortion, direct abortion, therapeutic abortion, eugenic abortion, and indirect abortion. It also discusses the moral issue around when a fetus becomes ensouled or a human being, with views ranging from conception to viability. Finally, it outlines the procedures for artificial insemination including sperm preparation, monitoring the woman's cycle, and depositing sperm intravaginally or intrauterally.
-Expulsion of a living fetus from the mothers womb before it is viable.
-Dr. Andre E. Hellegers, abortion is defined as termination of pregnancy spontaneously or by induction (sic), prior to viability, thereafter, termination of pregnancy is called delivery VIABILITY Childs capability to live independently of its mother after it has left the womb. TYPES of ABORTION: Natural Abortion (spontaneous or miscarriage) -expulsion of the fetus through natural or accidental causes -abortion of this type is unintentional and involuntary, and hence devoid moral significance -assumes moral bearing if and when it is voluntary in cause 1. Direct Abortion deliberately induced expulsion of a living fetus before it has become viable 2. Therapeutic Abortion deliberately induced expulsion of a living fetus in order to save the mother from the danger of death brought on by pregnancy the health and life of the mother are considered paramount in this case 3. Eugenic Abortion recommended in cases where certain defects are discovered in the developing fetus Eugenic because it is meant to get rid of abnormal babies ( that is, children with birth defects and deformities ) and thus prevent them from contaminating the human species. Likewise known as selective abortion or abortion on fetal indications in the sense that it is only recommended on a case-to-case basis, depending upon the gravity of fetal indications or abnormalities. 4. Indirect Abortion Removal of the fetus occurs as a secondary effect of a legitimate or licit action, which is the direct and primary object of the intention. This is an instance of the double effect principle which applies to a situation where a good effect as well as an evil effect will result from a good cause. The two instances where the four conditions are fulfilled are the case of a pregnant women who has a cancerous uterus and of another who has an ectopic pregnancy. MORAL ISSUE Immediate Hominization Contends that a new human person exists immediately upon conception. St. Gregory of Nyssa, a neoplatonist himself, the brother of St. Basil, and one of the most learned among the Greek fathers during the Patristic period who became the Bishop of Nyssa, had taught that the soul is infused at the first moment of conception. This Platonic and Gregorian view had greatly influenced the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic church, which professes today that from the moment of conception, the spiritual soul of each individual person is immediately created by God. Delayed Animation Upholds the ensoulment occurs at a later time but not from the moment of conception. Aristotle taught that ensoulment occurs about the 40 th day for males and the 80 th day for females. Catholic Churchs claim that the rational soul is immediately created by God. St. Thomas Aquinas however believed that the intellectual soul is directly created by God not from conception, but subsequently thereafter. This can be inferred from his final works: The soul is in the embryo, i.e., the nutritive soul, from the beginning, then the sensitive soul, and lastly, the intellectual soul. He seems to be saying here that when the sperm fertilizes the egg cell, the newly fertilized ovum or conceptus already possesses the nutritive soul. Then gradually follows the sensitive soul. The intellectual principle is received only into the body that is capable of receiving it. Ensoulment, therefore, or the fusion of the spiritual soul into the embryo (AKA animation) occurs when the matter (body) is sufficiently organized to sustain the intellectual principle or the so-called substantial form of man. TYPES OF INTERPRETATIONS of DELAYED ANIMATION: Implantation Nidation or implantation takes place 6 to 7 days after conception. The time when the embryo goes down to the fallopian tube towards the uterus and burrows itself in the endometrium or uterine wall. Unity and Uniqeness Happens 2 4 weeks after conception. At this time the fetus has already implanted itself in the endometrium, approximately 28 30 days after conception. Abortion at this stage of fetal development is no longer permissible. Looks human Ensoulment occurs when the fetus already looks human. Even the four-week old embryo does not look human, whereas the six-week old one is beginning to. 5 th 6 th week of fetal development, when the fetus already looks human And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. It seems that the infusion of the spiritual soul into the embryo happens when the nostrils of the fetus are complete, which appear from the 6 th
on the 7 th week of fetal development. Electrical Activity Impulses or activities are first detachable from the brain, around the 8 th week of pregnancy. Brain activity is the basis of intellectual life; the first sign of brain activity is the time the intellectual soul is infused into the fetus. Quickening (stirring of life) Takes place when the mother can feel the spontaneous movements of the fetus during the 10 th
12 th week of pregnancy. Aristotle was against the abortions after quickening. Viability Fetus is considered viable during the 38 th week or seventh month of pregnancy. The reasoning here is that at this point, the fetus can survive outside the womb, and thus already has an independent human life. Once the fetus is capable of living independently of the mother, it must be regarded a human being and must be protected as such. Birth When the child has became biologically independent of his mother. THREE GENERAL VIEWPOINTS OF ABORITION Conservative Position Declares that abortion is never permissible or at most, is permissible if and only if it is required to save the pregnant womans life, as in the case of the removal of a cancerous uterus or the removal of the fallopian tube, or a part of it, because of ectopic pregnancy. Liberal Position abortion is always permissible, whatever the state of fetal development may be womans rights, this stand stresses the right of a woman to make decisions which affect her own body A woman as the right to control her own body, as her personal property within the context of the right to self-determination. Moderate Position Morally permissible up to a certain stage of fetal development or for some limited set of reasons sufficient to justify the taking of life in this or that special circumstance. Fetus attains ontological status at quickening or viability. Abortion before quickening is morally legitimate. Justifications for the expulsion of the fetus may be classified into: PERSONAL Freedom of choice and once conscience; voice of reason must prevail Liberates procreation decisions Safeguards the mother from a pregnancy that would threaten her life by possibly resulting in cancerous uterus, therapeutic abortion or ectopic pregnancy. Protects the reputation of woman in cases of pregnancy due to rape and incest. SOCIAL REASONS Helps provide adaptation to a world that no longer needs nor can afford unlimited childbearing. It alleviates economic, sociological or demographic problems. It anticipates the social costs. Checks overpopulation and reduces unwanted pregnancy. FETAL REASONS It prevents the births of terribly malformed or defective children. Child deformity will cause the family to incur staggering financial and psychological costs. Abortion is a post-natal method of eliminating a couples offspring if its sex is found to be undersirable. Artificial Insemination The process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse Either sperm from the woman's male partner or sperm from a sperm donor insemination was originally developed as a means of helping couples to conceive where there were 'male factor' problems of a physical or psychological nature affecting the male partner which prevented or impeded conception Preparations: Sperm provided through sperm donation by a sperm donor may be used if, for example, the woman's partner produces too few motile sperm, or if he carries a genetic disorder, or if the woman has no male partner. The man providing the sperm is usually advised not to ejaculate for two to three days before providing the sample in order to increase the sperm count. A woman's menstrual cycle is closely observed, by tracking basal body temperature (BBT) and changes in vaginal mucus, or using ovulation kits, ultrasounds or blood tests. When using intrauterine insemination (IUI), the sperm must have been washed in a laboratory and concentrated in Hams F10 media without L-glutamine, warmed to 37C. [1] The process of washing the sperm increases the chances of fertilization and removes any mucus and non-motile sperm in the semen. A chemical known as a cryoprotectant is added to the sperm to aid the freezing and thawing process. Procedure: In the case of vaginal artificial insemination, semen is usually placed in the vagina by way of a needleless syringe. A longer tube, known as a 'tom cat' may be attached to the end of the syringe to facilitate deposit of the semen deeper into the vagina. The woman is generally advised to lie still for a half hour or so after the insemination to prevent seepage and to allow fertilization to take place. A more efficient method of artificial insemination is to insert semen directly into the woman's uterus by the use of catheter If the procedure is successful, the woman will conceive and carry to term a baby. A pregnancy resulting from artificial insemination will be no different from a pregnancy achieved by sexual intercourse 2 kinds of AI donors Artificial insemination by husband (AIH) Artificial insemination by donor (AID) Techniques of Artificial Insemination Intracervical Insemination (ICI) This involves the deposit of raw fresh or frozen semen (which has been thawed) by injecting it high into the cervix with a needle-less syringe Easiest way Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) injected directly into a woman's uterus washed semen are used to prevent uterine cramping due to content of prostaglandins. (Prostaglandins are also the compounds responsible for causing the myometrium to contract and expel the menses from the uterus, during menstruation.) the female should be under 30 years of age, and the man should have a TMS (Total Motile Sperm) of more than 5 million per ml Benefits of AI: The AI technique creates an avenue to pregnancy for couples faced with male infertility or female infertility. AI by donor allows sperm to be tested and screened prior to insemination, reducing the likelihood of passing a genetic disorder allows same-sex couples to conceive a child (for same sex couples) Hospital n the Philippines that offer AI Asian Hospital and Medical Center St. Lukes Medical Center Manila Doctors Hospital Ethical Issue in AI In Judaism, donor insemination is forbidden and a child is considered to be the offspring of the biological father. Artificial insemination using husband's sperm and IVF are accepted when there is need to heal the illness of infertility. Many people believe that embryos should not be used for research because they have the potential to become human beings and, in fact, embryo research is banned in Germany by law. In catholic religion, AI is considered unnatural method of fertilization and is against GOD. In conclusion, it is very important to give written consent to agreements, permissions, parental responsibilities for raising the child and other concerns before pursuing artificial insemination or external fertilization.
In-Vitro Fertilization in vitro, from the Latin root meaning in glass Term for babies conceived as the result of IVF, "test tube babies", Fertilizing an ovum in a laboratory dish and then transferring the embryo to a woman's uterus. IVF treatment is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) method suitable for couples with any one of various causes of infertility, including tubal factor infertility, endometriosis, and certain types of male factor infertility. removing ova (eggs) from the woman's ovaries and letting sperm fertilized them in a fluid medium. The fertilized egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient's uterus with the intent to establish a successful pregnancy IVF Cost and Financing The cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is generally about $12,000 per cycle. However, the treatment does not always work the first time it is performed Procedure In IVF treatment, eggs from a woman's ovary are surgically removed and placed in a Petri dish, where they are united with sperm from a male. Indications Women that has fallopian tube defects or problems Defect sperm quality Menopause women Ethical Issue Reproductive rights Welfare of offspring Nondiscrimination against unmarried individuals In Roman Catholic, it separates the procreative purpose of the marriage act from its unitive purpose which is established by GOD. IVF establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children Issue of multipregnancy that causes mother in physical and emotional problems Multiple pregnancies also present a threat to the well-being
of the offspring. Surrogate Parenting Surrogate came from the Latin word surrogates meaning substitute or in place of another surrogacy a biomedical technique where a fertilized ovum is implanted into the uterus of another woman who will carry the baby to term either as a favor or for a fee. womb for hire rent a womb uterus for rent financial arrangement Organ and Tissue Transplantation the moving of an organ or tissue from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ or tissue Types of Donor Living the donor remains alive and donates a renewable tissue, cell, or fluid (e.g. blood, skin), or donates an organ or part of an organ in which the remaining organ can regenerate or take on the workload of the rest of the organ Deceased Deceased (formerly cadaveric) are donors who have been declared brain-dead and whose organs are kept viable by ventilators or other mechanical mechanisms until they can be excised for transplantation Ethical Issues Violation of human rights and exploitation of poor to have unintended health consequences Principle of Totality The Judeo-Christian perspective affirms the great dignity of each human person created in the image of God (cf. Gen 1:26-31). The various aspects, parts and functions of a human person participate in this dignity The donation of organs should, in all circumstances, respect the last will of the donor, or the consent of the family present EUTHANASIA From Greek word EU- easy and THANATOS- death, in short, it means easy death. It means painless, peaceful death; it is the deliberate putting to death, in an easy, painless way, of an individual suffering from incurable and agonizing disease. MERCY KILLING Art or practice of painless putting to death a person suffering from a marked deformity or from an unbearable and distressing disease. It is a theory which affirms an individuals right to die in a painless and peaceful manner when he is confronted with a horrible disease and the quality of his life deteriorates. It is group into two: SELF-ADMINISTERED - may be: Active (positive) Euthanasia it is an act of commission insofar as it is voluntary and deliberate. Passive (negative) Euthanasia it is an act of omission insofar as one simply refuses to take anything to sustain life. OTHER-ADMINISTERED may be classified in four ways: Active and voluntary euthanasia- one in which either a physician, spouse, or a friend of the patient will terminate the latters life upon the latters request. Passive and voluntary euthanasia- one in which a terminally ill patient is simply allowed to die by the physician, spouse or an immediate relative, upon the patients request. Active and non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when it is the physician, spouse, close friend or relative who decides that the life of the terminally ill patient should be terminated. Passive and non-voluntary euthanasia- one in which a terminally ill patient is simply allowed to die, as requested by immediate family members, or the attending physician.
The moral issue of euthanasia revolves around the preservation of human dignity in death to the individuals last breath. It has positive side euthanasia aims to preserve human dignity until death. To die with dignity means that one should be able to make decision to die when dying would be better than to go on living with an incurable and distressing sickness. Insists mercy killing preserves human dignity. And it also has negative side euthanasia erodes human dignity. Oppose the positive because the act hastens the death of an individual. Natural law ethics condemns mercy killing. Euthanasia is intrinsically wrong because it implies the direct, deliberate killing or an individual, then it is murder. Suicide Suicide as an act of self-destruction indicates that an individual no longer regards life as worth living. Suicide is a direct, willful destruction of ones own life. It is direct insofar as the primary object of the act itself is the killing of oneself; It is the willful insofar it is deliberate, voluntary and intentionally; It is destructive insofar as the means off terminating ones own life is violent, brutal or very harsh. Assisted Suicide or being put to death by another for humanitarian reasons through merciful, painless means upon the patients request. Three Reasons of Suicide Personal reasons include misfortune and frustrations in love or marriage; parental indifference or apathy towards ones boyfriend/girlfriend; in-laww problems; failure in an examination; loss of honor and integrity; and nervous breakdown due to ones inability to cope with lifes problems. Financial causes include poverty and impoverishment; and great loss of money or collapse in business venture. Social and political reasons include failed coup d etat and protest against mans inhumanity to man. Pros and Cons of Suicide Pros of Suicide Michel de Montaigne A French essayist and skeptical philosopher First to explicitly question the views of Augustine and Aquinas. Argued: if and when an individual reaches a point where all that he feels is terrible pain, agony and misery, then suicide becomes excusable, permissible. His view: ones fear is suffering that is worse than death itself is the most excusable incitement to self-killing. John Donne A British clergyman and a religious writer Criticized the Christian prohibition of suicide as self-serving for capitalists and Christian authorities who exploit and oppress their laborers. Explained: the proscription of the Church is merely a part of the economic enslavement of laborers. His view: suicide is a means of liberating oneself from exploitation and oppression. Baron de Montesquieu A philosopher and political theorist Justified suicide by saying: it is just to compel a person to labor for a society he no longer consents to be a member of; the act of suicide does not disturb the order of the Providence, nor does any other human act alter the modifications of the matter; and though the soul is separated from the body, the order or regularity in the universe never changes. David Hume A Scottish philosopher Defended suicide: the removal of misery makes suicide morally justifiable and permissible; moral duty is reciprocal; and there is no such thing as order designed by God. Cons of Suicide Flavius Josephus a famous soldier, statesman and historian Argued against his soldiers wishes to kill themselves: suicide is a crime which is contrary to the common nature of all animals; the soul is a depositum received from God. St. Augustine Likewise contented: suicide is itself a greater sin than any and all sins that could be allegedly avoided by committing it; self-murder is against the fifth commandment; suicide deprives one of the opportunity to repent; and it is an ignoble act through which one attempts to escape the ills of life. St. Thomas Aquinas Gave three arguments: Suicide is against the natural law Being a member of a society, a person who kills himself will deprive the community Suicide is a usurpation of Gods function.