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Religious Attitudes to Matters of Life (Intro to Fertility Treatment…
Religious Attitudes to Matters of Life
Religion and Morality
Religion
- the belief in a superhuman controlling power, especially in a personal God or gods entitled to obedience and worship.. the expression of this worship.. a particular system of belief and worship
Some religious believers believe that if they break their code of morality they will be offending against their religion and going against God
Jews have little leeway for interpretation with 613 laws from the Torah making life a little easier as less decisions are left to make
Religions such as Buddhism and Christianity give general principles rather than laws, leaving room for intepretaion
Form a good basis for a code of morality, developed by adding more detail based on further religious teaching
Morality
Morality
- refers to personal decisions about what is right and wrong behaviour, and following those decisions in everyday life
Absolute Morality
Absolute Morality
- what is morally right and wrong applies to all situations at all times.
e.g. A person may never fight in a war because it involvess causing suffering to others
Ethics
- refers to the study of the theory of morality, which helps to inform people's personal decisions
Relative Morality
Relative Morality
- what is morally right or wrong in any situation depends on its particular cirumstances
e.g. A person may decide to fight in a war because although it causes suffering, a war may prevent further suffering in the future.
Why is life special?
Sanctity of Life
Sanctity of Life
The belief that life is sacred because it is God-given
'Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?'
1 Corinithians 3:16
Value of Life
Value of Life
- the value of a person over physical value
Will it be worth...?
Will it be worth the Money spent on it
Is life more valuable than money?
Will it benefit a life?
Can anyone's life be more important than another?
Quality of Life
Quality of Life
- A measure of fufilment
Could consider.... Will the person...?
Be comfortable
Be pain-free
Live with dignity
Live with freedom
Have the possibility of accessing God
Intro to Fertility Treatment
Fertility Treatment
- medical procedure to assist an infertile couple to have a child
IVF
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
- a scientific method of making a woman pregnant, which does not involve sex. Conception occurs via sperm and egg being placed in a test tube.
Louise Brown
First test tube baby
Test-tube baby
- term used for a baby created outside of the woman's body
Born 25 July 1978
Parents = Lesley and John Brown
Doctor: Dr Patrick Steptoe
'In Vitro'
means
'In glass'
Since 1977, fertility treatment has become commonplace.
Barely changed
Common for more than one egg to be fertilised
More than one egg implanted
Success rates are still quite low
Surrogacy
Fertility treatment can be used to impregnate a surrogate mother
Usually surrogate mothers egg and sperm from the intended father to be
Artificial Insemination
Artificial insemination
- sperm medically inserted into the vagina to assist pregnancy
IVF with the intended mothers egg can also be used if she has working ovaries
Gestational Surrogacy
Once the baby is born, the surrogate mother hands it over to the couple for whom she carried it.
Under British law she can be paid expenses but not a fee
After the baby is born the intended father will put his name on the birth certificate
Automatically gives him equal rights as with the surrogate mother of the child
If he doesn't do this he is advised to enter into a Parent Responsibility Agreement with the surrogate mother
Gives him equal rights over the child
After six weeks the couple can apply for a parental order. This gives them full parental rights and the surrogate mother loses all the rights she had in the first six weeks
He slept with Hagar, and she conceived... The angel of the Lord told her... “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
Genesis 16:4,9-10
Hannah had none [children]... and the Lord had closed her womb.
1 Samuel 1:2,5
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb... my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
Psalm 139:13, 15
Possible Issues
For
We should be compassionate - everyone has the right to a baby
There is a very good chance that the child will be loved and brought up well
God has given people the intelligence to develop this new technology and perform these treatnebts
Against
It is not seen as natural and therefore it is against God
The "wrong people" can become parents
Treatments can be expensive and come with no guarantee
Artificial Insemination
Artificial Insemination by Husband (AIH)
Artificial Insemination by Husband (AIH)
- when a woman is made pregnant by the sperm of her husband, but not through having sexual relations with him
Roman Catholics and Jews forbid masturbation as it is seen as spilling the seed that creates life.
Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID)
Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID)
- when a woman is mad pregnant by the sperm of a man other than her partner but not through having sexual relations with him
Children conceived this way have a legal right to know the identity of their father if they want to know at age 18
Possible Issues
The donor is a stranger
Inserting the sperm from a man other than the woman's husband can be seen as adultery
It allows unmarried women to have a child and bring it up on her own.
It allows a gay couple to have a child and bring it up in a 'single-sex' home
The child might become upset when they find out that their genetic father is not the father who brought them up
The donor could be unhappy that his identity could be revealed to his genetic children.
Fertility Treatment Case Study
Sexual Intercourse
- sexual activity , involving more than one person, for reasons of procreation and pleasure
Issues for the Child
Parents need to tell their children at the right time
Some children are bullied at school
Children may react badly
Child may want to discover who their biological parent is
Due to the difficulty of the process the child is probably made to feel wanted, loved and cared for and be able to overcome any problems.
Human and genetic engineering and embryology
Human Genetic Enineering
Human Genetic Enineering
- the modification of gene make-up to change the features of a human.
Embryology
- the study of human embryos
Embryo
- fertilised ovum at about 12-14 days when implanted into the wall of the womb
American Scientists working under government liscence have already created a genetically modified human embryo
Could lead the selection of genes specifying
Height
Hair colour
Intelligence
Currently illegal
Could lead to
designer babies
Where parents could choose the gender and characteristics they would like their babies to have (currently illegal)
Issues
Positive
Have the possibility of removing genetic diseases
Can contribute to the birth a healthy baby who will have a good quality of life
Negative
Can lead to designer babies
Encourages scientists to take on the role of God
They destroy embryos
If life starts at conception this is muder
Attack on human rights
He bestows [children] male or female according to His will.
Qur'an 42:49
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
Parliament voted in favour in May 2008
Designed to make it clear just what is allowed by law and what is not.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien gave the Roman Catholic view
Called the bill, 'a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life.'
He was accused by scientists of scaremongering and misleading the public by using emotive language and exaggerating the potential results of the research the Bill allows.
Saviour Siblings
Can donate stem cells from the umbilical cord
Saviour Siblings
- a sibling (brother or sister), genetically compatible with a sick child is implanted and born to use stem cells to treat the sick child
It is Illegal to create a saviour sibling simply to donate organs, cells and tissues
Christian View
Oppose
Devalues life
RCs Strongly opposed the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
Sanctity of Life
'You shall not murder'
Exodus 20:13
In Favour
Help each other
Eradicate disease
It is being truly loving
Create a better quality of life
God-given intelligence and creativity should be nurtured and used positively
Islam View
For
Believe that the unborn child does not receive a soul until 120 days (some Muslims 40 days) after conception
Allah has given us skills to help others and the development of genetic and embryo technology is an extension of this
Against
Sanctity of Life
Misuse of embryos is not allowed
Cloning
Reproductive Cloning
This is the creation of an identical copy of an organism, which could be a plant , animal or human (although creating a human clone in this way is illegal)
Selective breeding has worked this way for years
Since 'Dolly ' the sheep in 1996
Therapeutic Cloning
AKA Stem-cell cloning
Stem cells can be taken and used inn research to find treatments for a range of diseases
Once the embryoo reaches 14 days from conception it much be destroyed
Agree
It helps people with embryonic research, which could help sick or infertile people
It is compassionate and improves people's quality of life
God inspires people to develop new technology to benefit mankind
Disagree
It is against nature and against the way we were created by God
It results in the disposal of many leftover embryos, which may be seen as individuals humans
it may encourage scientists to make advances which are even more unacceptable
Reproductive cloning affects a person's identity and position in the family
A cloned person may not have a soul
Cloning
- the scientific method by which animals or plants can be created which have exactly the same genetic make-up as the original, because the DNA of the original is used.
Cloning Laws
Any laboratory involved is carefully licensed to prevent the techniques used in therapeutic cloning being used in reproductive cloning
The 2008 act updated the 'outdated' 1990 Act
Should We Experiment on Humans or Hybrids?
Human experimentation
- testing products, usually medicines, on paid human volunteers
Can go horribly wrong
drug TGN1412 trials
6 men suffered multiple organ failure within hours of taking the drug
Worst affected had his toe amputated and had early indications of an angry form of cancer
Tissues are tested in vitro and by computer stimulation - Stage 1 laboratory testing
Drug tested on animals (mainly rodents)
Cleared for testing on humans
Tested on volunteers - Stage 2 Human Testing
Tested for effectiveness and side effects on selected people with the relevant illness
Drug tested on large numbers of people with the relevant illness
Drug tested more widely against othe drugs, for side effects and long-term risks and benefits - Stage 3 drug liscencing
Human-animal hybrid embryos
- an embryo made from human DNA and animal eggs for purposes of experimentation
Scientists hope they can make these that survive for six or seven days in order to extract stem cells which can be used in experiments to find treatments for Parkinsons and Alzheimer's
Against the nature and the will of God
Love your neighbour as [you love] yourself.
Luke 10:27-28, Leviticus 19:18
What does religion say about matters of life?
When does life begin?
Before Conception - Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs
Conception - Roman Catholics and some non-believers
Conception
- the moment the sperm fertilisers the egg
14 days (approx) - embryo becomes attached to the womb
Three weeks (approx) - the heart starts to beat
Quickening - The first movements within the womb
Quickening
- the first detectable movements of the foetus.
Ensoulment - Muslims believe the foetus gains a soul after 120 days (around 19 weeks) after conception. Others may link this with the development of the nervous system, brain activity or organ development at various other times.
Ensoulment
- the belief that at one moment the foetus receives a soul
Viability - This is when the foetus could survive (with a great deal of medical help) if born prematurely. This occurs at about 24 weeks (the present upper limit for abortion, although in cases of profound disability abortion is allowed up to the time of birth).
Viable
- the point at which a foetus could survive if it were to be born.
Birth - Jews (and others) believe that human life starts at birth (about 38 weeks after conception). Until then, the baby is a foetus, totally dependent on its mother.
How this affects religious beliefs
(Do not) take life - which Allah has made sacred - except for just cause.
Qur'an 17:33
You shall not murder
Exodus 20:13
Buddhist idea of right intention comes into play - taking a life to help one
Jews, Christians and Muslims believe that in helping for others, through compassion they are helping God
Everyone expects embryos to be treated with dignity and respect because they hold the potential for human life - something that is very special