Wednesday, September 22, 2010
During routine in vitro fertilizaiton procedures, surplus embryos may be preserved by freezing or discarded. This raises the issue of what to do with embryos not suitable or desired for implantation. To date, implantation of embryos that have been biopsied using PGD, then frozen, has not lead to successful pregnancies. However, the technical challenges are being overcome.
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I think that if the frozen the embryo's are of no use, or actually do more harm than good, then they should be submitted for testing. If you know that embyro is going to die anyway, then why not use it to help people whose lives could be changed with stem cell technology. Discarding embyro's is just a waste of life and potential.
ReplyDeleteI agree with only part of what Tanya is saying. I agree with her saying that the extra embryo could be used for stem cell research, but i still think that some should still be set aside to be frozen for use later in time, creating a fall back plan if something were to happen to the other embryo being used right now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you, it would be a compete waste to just throw away the embryos. In my opinion science is always changing, therefore someday those embryos are going to be useful if not now. Throwing them away would be a complete waste of time, effort , and money.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of discarded embroys, I think of discarding of life. I don't like that people just through away embroys. I completely agree with tanya when she said that they could be used for testing. Maybe they could find a cure for a deadly disease through this testing.
ReplyDeleteAnd if parents want to take that risk of using frozen embroys, then they can take that chance. It's really their choice. But I think that the last thing scientist should do with the embroys is to discard them.
It seems like the consent going through this blow is that it would be a waste to throw the embryos away. I agree with this because science always has new studies to do and discoveries to make. Therefore if the embryos are going to be thrown away and not used anyway, I dont see a problem with using them for testing and possibly increasing knowledge on a scientific dilemma or study.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this consent and with Kayla's point. I view the embryo as a life and so I believe that throwing it away is the worst option. The sad thing is how the embryos aren't providing any successful pregnancies after they've been frozen.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing I can hope for is that the technology will advance enough where the left over embryos could be used for future parents and not disregarded.
I agree with Holly. I think that throwing away the embryos is unnecessary. At the same time, if the embryos cannot be used for a successful pregnancy then submitting them for testing would be the best option. Even though some may say that it is taking away a potential life, the embryo would be benefiting science, rather than just being thrown away.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much agreeing with everyone so far in thinking that the embryos should be allowed to be used for testing, and that it really is a shame that they can't be frozen and used again later. However, if the embryos are thought to be unsuitable for implantation, I think that the scientists should take the reasons why they are thought to be unsuitable into account. If the cells aren't going to grow regularly, would it be in the best interest to use them as a test for what may happen to a regular cell? Would they react the same way?
ReplyDeleteJacky I like the point you bring up about using the cells that are considered unsuitable for implantation for testing. If the enbryos are simply going to sit and stay frozen and not used, they might as well be used to test vaccines for diseases or other testing that should not be tested on a grown human. Although this brings up ethical issues, doesn't keeping embryos frozen bring up ehtical issues too?
ReplyDeleteI think that if we've already got such an excess of frozen embryos chilling (literally) in freezers all over the globe we might as well, as has been said about seventeen times, use them. BUT, to be totally honest I feel that it's sort of creepy what we're doing. Not necessarily unethical, just weird. It doesn't seem quite natural, you know? Like, let's get some sperm and
ReplyDeletea few eggs and put them together in a petri-dish and then make sure we get a healthy one and then put the others in a freezer until further notice...It makes logical sense I guess, but can't parents just have good old fashioned sexual
intercourse and try to love the child they make for as long as it's alive? That seemed to work out okay for the thousands of years before in vitro came along, but I just don't knowwwwww...
I see where you're coming from Faith but I think that some of the people using this can't have babies the natural way, maybe there's something wrong with them and fertilization is not as successful. I agree though, petri-dish babies just doesn't seem natural.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the many comments above-if the embryos are going to be disposed of use them for scientific research. I just thought it would be good to bring up an opposing view. Earlier this year we discussed stem cell research onthe blog. Many times it was said that we should not do research on embryo's because it has a potential life. Aren't we all being hypocritical here? These embryo's, unwanted or frozen, all have the potentential to be a child. What determines if an embryo can be used for research?
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the petri-dish baby is very unnatural. I have never been in this situation so I do not understand what it would be like, but I feel that these parents are just narcissistic. I understand that some people cannot carry their own children, but there are plenty of orphans in need of a home. Why should parents face all these moral and ethical issues, when they could be giving another child a home and their love? Isn't that what having a child is all about anyway?
To go off of what you were saying about adoption, I really think that one of the biggest parts of going through all the ethical issues, is to hopefully end up with a baby of your own. A baby most likely means so much more if it is your own blood, than someone elses. That's just natural. Obviously, growing embryos in Petrie dishes seems a little outrageous, but to a parent desperate for a child.. What other options do they have? They want their own natural born children, and when there's nothing left to turn to they begin to use these morally questionable techniques. Nit every embryo will be perfect though.. Sometimes, entire sets won't be successful at all. When invitro fertilization doesn't work, maybe that's when parents should turn to adoption if they hadn't already. But all these embryos that aren't considered "fit" I believe could be used for research, as they aren't even in the womb yet. Why not use the embryos to save someone who already is alive, giving unwanted embryos purpose?
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to agree with Jilly because I feel that embryo's are potential life, and we should goexplore every option to make sure that the embryo can actually be carried through pregnancy. After this, if the embryo is still unwanted then it should be used for reasearch as opposed to just thrown away.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to bring up the fact that if embryo's are put up for adoption then instead of discarding them, should they be frozen so that someone else can adopt them in the future? Should embryo's ever be discarded?
I agree with what Holly and Kayla said about the consent issue. As embryos are yet to be recognized as "life" by official definition, it should be left up to the "owners" of these embryos whether or not they are discarded after being frozen. With time and the progression of technology, it is likely that these embryos will be successful pregnancies (and births) but this is not now the case.
ReplyDeleteI think that discarding the embryos would be like killing life, as some have said. To add on, I believe that even though they are progressing the studies to make the pregnancy more successful it may result into birth defects which one has to take in account. Since this is a study that is only began recently it seems as thought the scientist are only playing with a life, it can relate to the Tuskegee experiment where human life is being taken advantage of.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much agree with everyone on discarding the embryos being the worst option. I think if they are just going to be thrown away using them for testing would be a much better idea. I also agree with the petri dish as being some what unnatural but as someone said above, when some one is desperate to have a child of their own what else is there to turn to? ya they can adopt but many people who have health problems and just cant carry a baby, this process gives them a possibility to have a child with their own blood. and really i think thats all any couple would ever want. if this doesnt work for them either THEN i would think would be the time to turn to adoption.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that adoption should be a main option. I also think that Tanya brought up a good point, when is it ok to discard an embryo and for how long should they be up for adoption? I also think that with the number of embryos created for each case, the number of embryos that are perfectly fine are also high. However, with some cases these babies are conceived this way in order to avoid genetic diseases and impairments. Some of the unwanted embryos in these cases have diseases, and I was wondering, should these embryos be put up for adoption as well? What should happen to these embryos?
ReplyDeleteTo not really answer your question Jacky, I don't really know what should be done with the embryos that will likely or definitely inherit defects. Not many people will opt for a child without a nose if a child with a nose is an option, you know? Throwing them away doesn't feel quite right, and sticking them in the icebox like popsicles is a weird idea, so maybe the best option truly is to put them to use in research or medicine. If embryos indeed fit one's definition of life, then I suppose it's best that they are not left dormant for eternity, but instead are used to perpetuate and enhance the other living people out there.
ReplyDeleteHowever if you were to adopt these frozen embroyos you woulds simply be killing a baby becasue these frozen embroyos are stated to not have successful birth.
ReplyDeleteYes, but there is the technical side that will most likely be overcome in the next few years. I personally believe that an embryo does meet the requirements of life and so I think the best thing we can do right now is to hope that the technology will allow these frozen embryos to be put up for adoptiona and that they will result in successful pregnancies. Throwing them away in the trash should not be an option.
ReplyDelete