Natal Bioethical Issues

My ratings for natal bioethical issues from 1-9, 9 being the most controversial:


1. Natural Reproduction
2. Carrier Testing - genetic tests of parents that show the risk of passing on  a genetic disorder
3. Prenatal Testing - genetic screening of fetus for genes that cause genetic disorders
4. Fertility drugs - Prescription drugs which increase a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant
5. Artificial Insemination - insertion of sperm into female reproductive tract by syringe in a doctor's office
6. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis for Diseases - Fertilization of sperm and egg in a Petri dish. Embryos are screened for a certain genetic disorder.  Those without the defective gene are inserted into the female reproductive tract via a syringe in a doctor’s office.
7. In Vitro Fertilization - Fertilization of sperm and egg in a Petri dish. Viable embryos are chosen and inserted into the female reproductive tract via a syringe in a doctor’s office.

8. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis for Non-deleterious Traits - Fertilization of sperm and egg in a Petri dish. Embryos are screened for genes of non-deleterious traits (such as hair color, height, sex). Those with desired genes are inserted into the female reproductive tract via a syringe in a doctor’s office.

9. Cloning - the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another

     I thought the least controversial was the idea of natural reproduction. That is a natural everyday thing and there should not be any controversy over it other than personal problems such as whether or not one can afford to take care of their baby. I said that carrier testing was a two on the controversy scale because a couple may still want to have their baby even if they know they are going to pass on a disease. Some people may not want to reproduce knowing that they will pass on a disease, however not everyone can afford this service. The third most controversial thing on my list is prenatal testing because it isn't very controversial. I think the couple should be able to decide whether or not they want to have this done. The fourth natal bioethical issue on my list is fertility drugs because if someone is not able to reproduce, they should be allowed to try whatever they want at their own risk. The sixth thing on my list was pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for diseases. I chose to put this as number six because I think that it is fine for anyone who can't reproduce themselves to have it done in a lab. Screening for genetic disorders just prevents their child from having them which doesn't cause any harm to anyone so there shouldn't be any controversy over that. The seventh thing on my list is in Vitro fertilization because I can understand why there would be controversy over such a topic. I think that it is fine to do as long as the woman does it at her own risk. The eighth thing on my list is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for non-deleterious traits. I think this is a highly controversial topic because some people may want to do this, but it seems wrong. When you say that you want one trait over another, you are putting down the other trait. For example, if I said I wanted brown hair and blue eyes, I would be saying that I do not want blonde hair and green eyes. The last and most controversial thing on my list is cloning. Some people may say that it is an acceptable thing while other may say that it is wrong. I, personally, think that cloning is very wrong. 

     I would stop at number 8. Natural reproduction is a part of life. Carrier and prenatal testing just test for genetic disorders so they can be prevented. Fertility drugs, artificial insemination, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for diseases help a woman who may be having trouble reproducing to become pregnant. In Vitro fertilization also helps a woman who cannot reproduce to have a baby. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for non-deleterious traits is wrong in my opinion. If one cannot get pregnant, they should use one of the alternatives such as fertility drugs or artificial insemination, not something where they get to "design" their baby. Cloning is another thing which I find to be very wrong. There is no need to make an identical copy of someone using their genes and DNA. If cloning became common, there would be chaos in the world.