Test Tube Baby Treatment – The Ethical Questions of Treatment

IVF, or Test Tube Baby Treatment, (as it was once referred to) may be a life giver and a harbinger of joy for many. But when looked at from an ethical standpoint, the IVF treatment raises a lot more questions than it answers. The birth of the first test tube baby, Louise Brown, stirred the pot, and got people thinking about the potential fallouts of the treatment. Though the birth was considered a medical marvel, and people looked at the rising field of biotechnology with more positvity, there was some pessimism too.

The Effective Treatment 

Infertility is a terrible problem and it can be a heavy burden to bear. While IVF can effectively put an end to infertility, and even couples who have been diagnosed to be infertile can now have babies, it still poses an ethical challenge. A section of the society believed that reproduction was the domain of nature. They felt that the miracle of life, which was a feat that only nature could thus far perform had now been rendered into a technological feat,; and this disturbed many people.
 

Today IVF is the Treatment  of Choice for infertile couples 

Lab Babies 

Manipulating nature comes with its own challenges. For instance, IVF also has its risks and potential complications and not all IVF treatments result in successful pregnancies. The entire concept of having babies created in a laboratory, without humans having intercourse and making that 'special' connection, was something that did not go down well with many. Another major concern was that this technology would be used for eugenics (creating genetically-engineered super babies).

Other Concerns 

Also, there were concerns about the impact on the long-term health of the mother and the baby. The mother is given fertility drugs to alter her natural cycles. It seemed improbable that there wouldn't be any long-term impacts of that on her health. It is now clear that these drugs do not have any long term effects on the health of either the mother or her child.

However, there is a lobby of anti-IVF protesters who feel that as the babies produced from the initial rounds of IVF have entered into adulthood, more research should be performed on them to see if they have any long-term health concerns.

The Ray of Hope

Today, fertility clinics across the world  are helping  infertile couples have children. Some people believe that such a delicate technology should not have been commercialised.  They refuse to see that it brings hope to so many people, who may have otherwise not had the opportunity to have a child of their own.

Read about IVF Treatment Costs in India 

Summary

When it comes to the first test tube baby treatment, almost everyone had an opinion. Today, IVF technology has changed the  lives of many people in a very positive way.