Made, Not Begotten: IVF and the Right to Life Under Conditions

Abstract

In a society in which the decoupling of sexuality and human reproduction has become normal, In vitro fertilization (IVF) has mutated into a kind of standard procedure. There is little awareness of the ethical ruptures that the mechanization of human reproduction causes. The basic ethical problem with extracorporeal fertilization in a test tube is that a child is not conceived through the personal union of a man and a woman, but is “produced” in a laboratory. In the context of human creation, this entails a series of ethical problems. The technique does not merely offer another possible option for action, but it leads to a fundamental change in the attitude towards human life as such. A look at the history of assisted reproductive technology (ART) since the 1970s reveals that ethical problems, eugenic visions as well as medical experiments on humans have been inherent to the method from the very beginning. Considering that eugenic thinking has been a driving force from the very beginning it astonishes that this delicate point has hardly been recognized and highlighted so far. Robert Edwards' (1925–2013) vision went far beyond the mere treatment of infertility through the use of IVF, which he saw as enabling the selection of so-called “unhealthy life.” The article considers the risks of IVF and includes recent studies by physicians involved in reproductive medicine who are increasingly critical of their industry. Furthermore it emphasizes the core ethical question on human reproductive technology, contrasting the “ethics of procreation” with the “ethics of production.” Summary The article highlights historical aspects, considers the risks as well as the ethical questions on assisted reproductive technology.