CARE AT THE

BEGINNING OF
LIFE
Topics to discuss
NATURAL
PREVENTION OF
REPRODUCTION
REPRODUCTION

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ASSISTED
REPRODUCTION

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1 Natural reproduction
Let’s start with the first set of slides
“
The female ovaries expel the mature egg
towards the Fallopian tubes every 28
days. The male’s testes produce the
sperms which are expelled at ejaculation.
With the conjugal act the sperms are
deposited in the vaginal canal. The sperm
travel up the uterus into the uterus into
the Fallopian tubes and there fertilize the
egg. The fertilize egg (mean the embryo)
travels down to the uterus where it is
implanted, develops, grow (embryo,
fetus) after 9 months the baby is born.

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PRINCIPLES: The principles involved and promoted in the
reproductive issue are:
▫ Inviolability of Life
▫ Stewardship
▫ Double Effect
▫ Nonmaleficence
▫ Beneficence
▫ Respect for Person

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INVIOLABILITY OF
LIFE
▫ All human from the moment of
conception (fertilization) and through
all subsequent stages is sacred. Thus, all
have the duty to affirm, respect, love
and defend it. Violation of this principle
occurs like in: abortion, in vitro-
fertilization and stem cell research.

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STEWARDSHIP
Man must take care, cultivate,
creatures within the creature’s innate
nature and teleology and within man’s
knowledge and understanding.
Violations arises in: surgical sterility,
substitution of reproduction, use of
hormones, intra-uterine devices (IUD)
donation of sperm or egg genetic
manipulation.

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DOUBLE EFFECT
▫ A foreseen evil effect may be allowed if
the foreseen intended good effect is
greater than and does not result from
the evil effect. This is applied into
maternal-fetal conflict, removal of
diseased organ like in ectopic
pregnancy, anencephalic infants.

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NONMALEFICENCE
Do no and risk no harm. This is
applied into: sterilization, hormones
psychological harm psychological and
financial effect of new technologies.

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BENEFICENCE
▫ Do good and provide a benefit. This
applies when removing diseased organs,
facilitating pregnancy, educating on
responsible parenthood.

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RESPECT FOR PERSON
1) Not to be denatured/destroyed. Issues/
and violation arises in: artificial methods
of reproduction (like: IVF and AID or
AIH), cloning.
2) To be an end and not a means to an end.
This happens in contraception,
commodification of sperm/egg, uterus
dysfunction, and embryonic
manipulation.

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2 Assisted reproduction
Now, we go to the second topic
ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

In-vitro fertilization
and embryonic
transfer

Hu lls (H
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ma u m
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ste
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1. (IVF-ET)
In IVF-ET the gametes are
separately harvested, in number of
eggs are fertilized in ‘Petri Dish’
some zygotes are implanted into
the mother, and unwanted embryo
may be removed.

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In-vitro fertilization and embryonic transfer (IVF-
ET)
a) Inviolability of Life (some unwanted zygote are allowed to die)
b) Stewardship (the procedure is artificial and it substitutes the conjugal act)
(the baby may develop the ‘genealogical bewilderment syndrome’, also, if sperm
c) Nonmaleficence is from a donor, the unknown biological lineage may lead to incest or inherited
diseases. Mothers are psychologically harm by series of unsuccessful attempt)

d) Justice
(if private funds are used the prohibitive cost limits availability to the rich. If
public funds are used, more essential needs are abandoned)
(the human body, the uterus, sperm egg becomes commodities trafficked,
e) Respect for Person
transferred or sold; the baby is not a gift but a product of other’s will to be
disposed of as desired (the unused embryo; ‘take home’ baby in term of wasted
babies are often not shared with parents)

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2. CLONING
is the reproduction of a genetic copy of
another human being either through
‘splitting’ of the embryo’s cell or through
somatic cell nuclear transfer. The latter,
involved the removal of the nucleus from
the unfertilized female egg and its
replacement by the nucleus of a cell
taken from donor.

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Cloning
a) Inviolability of Life (embryo are destroyed in the therapeutic cloning)
b) Stewardship (the process is artificial)

c) Nonmaleficence
(the psychological and physical risks to mother and child. In addition the
concept of the ‘family’ is perhaps destroyed)

(denatured and destroyed by stockbreeding with no uniqueness as individuality;

d) Respect for Person parents were reduced to a mere providers of human ‘materials’, like, sperm, egg
and uterus)

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3. HUMAN EMBROYNIC
stem cells
(Human ES cells) it is the production of
human embryos/the use of surplus
embryos from IVF or aborted embryos or
frozen embryos.

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Human Embryonic stem cells
The isolation of the inner cell mass (ICM) which is cultured and sub cultured to
a) Nonmaleficence form colonies then cell lines must be done early in the embryonic life and
destroyed the embryo.

b) Double Effect
This intentional killing is morally illicit. Thought the end may be praiseworthy
as in a regenerative medicine, it cannot justify the means.

c) Respect for person and To use commercially available or supplied ES cells obtained from them is
Nonmaleficence proximate material cooperation with scandal in the act of embryo destruction

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3 Prevention of reproduction
For the last Topic, make sure you have take aways.
PREVENTION OF REPRODUCTION

CONTRACEPTION ABORTION

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Contraception
(drugs and devices that inhibit fertilized ovum transport
to and implantation in the uterus or its development are
1 Inviolability of life abortifacient.

(it promotes hedonistic mentality with refusal to accept

the reproductive responsibility of sexual or to recognize a
2 Stewardship new human being. (perhaps as god is the final Creator)

(castration removes a healthy organ, tubal occlusion or

ligation and vasectomy prevents a healthy function. IUD
3 Nonmaleficence promotes infection as well. Contraception as well
promotes a premarital sex, extramarital sex, or
homosexuality.

(to have one spouse use the other spouse as a means for
one’s satisfaction or pleasure is a sign of disrespect)
4 Respect for person.
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2. ABORTION
A. DIRECT ABORTION
OR INDUCED
it a kind of abortion with the
intentional of immediate
purpose of ending or
destroying the fetus at any
stage of after its conception.
B. INDIRECT ABORTION
is a process of terminating
pregnancy directly in which the
moral object of the action is the
therapy of the mother and the
death of the fetus is a side effect
that is inevitably unavoidable
effect.
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Abortion

Injection with concentration Hysterectomy

saline
It burns their skin off them while
were still alive the babies breathe it
in and swallow it, frying their
insides. (abortion by caesarian surgery)

this is characterized by using a (is a method by suctioning of the

suction tube to remove the fetus and lining of the uterus through the use
placenta of a thin and flexible tube inserted
through the opening of the cervix)

Dilation and Evacuation Dilation Vacuum aspiration

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Thank You!
Any questions?
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