RS1022+-+LSA+CASE+STUDY+-+Moralscape+-+Jan+2023

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Feb 20, 2024

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RS1022 ~ LSA - moralscape RS1022 ~ LSA Case Study for LSA (Updated January 2023) Topic: Moralscape Instructions: Please follow the detailed instructions posted on OWL. IMPORTANT: When working with this case study, please ‘bring yourself’ and your perspective to the situation. While you may not actually have friends going through this circumstance, I want you to imagine you did. Other than that, I want you to BE YOU … with your background, experiences, cultural heritage, history, beliefs, education, socioeconomics, family of origin, philosophy, assumptions, principles, religious/faith tradition (or none), values, views, loyalties, etc. You are you and the discussion of moralscape is about your moralscape NOT your friends’ moralscape . Sensitivity Disclaimer: This case study is fictional. While inspired by research and experiences of many different people, the situation is fabricated. Any similarities to real persons or events are entirely coincidental. Aspects of this case study may be difficult for some people. Please be gentle with yourself and reach out to a counsellor if you need to talk. Case Study: Your close friends, Sara and Eli, are in a committed relationship. They have been actively trying to have a biological child for several years but without success. They have been diagnosed with idiopathic infertility (meaning the doctors cannot explain why they are unable to have children). They have suffered numerous miscarriages, medical tests, and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. While they have had some success with getting pregnant, they have not been able to sustain a pregnancy. The situation has strained their relationship and their finances, sometimes to the brink. Having tried other options, their specialist has recommended invitro fertilization (IVF). Sara and Eli are not sure what to do. They have been hesitant about this option for a number of reasons: They believe any embryos they create are life and are their children. They are concerned about what would happen to the embryos if they create more than are needed for the procedure as is common with IVF. They would not wish for any ‘extra’ embryos to be destroyed, discarded, used for medical research, or donated/adopted by others. The doctors recommend implanting at least five or six embryos. If too many (i.e., more than two or three) are viable, then Sara and Eli would need to selectively reduce the implanted embryos, and must consent to the selective reduction before implantation. If Sara and Eli do not consent to selective reduction, the doctors will not allow the IVF procedure. Sara and Eli are morally opposed to selective reduction. There are health implications of IVF for Sara: the medications have been difficult on her body, and both she and Eli are recovering emotionally from their latest miscarriage. With complicating health issues, the doctors recommend that, if Sara is to have biological children, she must do so within the next year (two at the max), and then immediately have a 1
RS1022 ~ LSA - moralscape hysterectomy. They have told her the time to pursue IVF is now, especially since: she is likely to need more than one round of IVF; should she become pregnant and miscarry, she would need at least three months to heal before the doctors will attempt a new round of IVF; and, she and Eli would prefer to have more than one child. As one doctor said, ‘It’s now or never.’ There are financial implications: IVF is very expensive (about $15-20,000 per round); government assistance has a five year wait list and age requirements which will likely exclude them from being funded; and they have depleted their savings with the medications and treatments they have already tried. Lastly, while they both long for children, they are not on the same page about IVF. Both have hesitations about the procedure; one is more willing to try than the other. Your friends have asked for your advice. They have outlined their perspectives and reminded they will not consider adoption, fostering, surrogacy, donor eggs, donor sperm, donor embryos , etc. Simply put, non-biological choices are not options for them. They are asking: Given these parameters, if you were in this situation, would you pursue IVF? Why/why not? Questions for your podcast discussion: 1) Given the parameters Sara and Eli have outlined, would you/would you not pursue IVF? Why/why not? (Remember, you cannot choose non-biological options such as adoption, fostering, surrogacy, donor eggs/sperm/embryos, etc.) 2) What elements of your moralscape have shaped your decision about whether or not to pursue IVF? Discuss. (Note: Use your own life and experiences to answer this question. This is about your moralscape , not Sara or Eli’s.) 3) Explore the anthropological aspects of your moralscape. In your opinion, when does life begin? Why? What/who has shaped your perspective on the nature of humanity? 4) What prejudices or assumptions affect your moralscape as you ponder Sara and Eli’s situation. E.g., who did you assume was more willing to try IVF? How might your answer have been different if you assumed it was the other partner who was more willing to try IVF? What assumptions have you made about technology? Religion? Ethics/morality? A final reminder: As mentioned above, w hen pondering the case study and answering the questions, please ‘bring yourself’ and your perspective to the situation. You are YOU … with your background, experiences, cultural heritage, history, beliefs, education, socioeconomics, family of origin, philosophy, assumptions, principles, religious/faith tradition (or none), values, views, loyalties, etc. Good luck! 2
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