A Brief Note On Israeli And Japanese Pregnancy Processes

Eggs and sperm are stored in thousands of racks, waiting to be fertilized, ““These,” he waved his hand, “are the incubators.” And opening an insulated door he showed them racks upon racks of number test-tubes. “The week’s supply of ova.”” (16) In fertility clinics today, test-tube babies have become normality, in vitro fertilization has contributed to over 5 million births. Yet, just because science has found its way into procreation in today’s society, this does not mean it gives the government more control. It is ultimately the parents’ choice whether or not to have an IVF, something that more and more people have decided to do. People can start to choose whether or not they want certain characteristics to appear in their child, a choice that the government can never take away from them. After being stored, the next task of fertilization begins, “”This hive of industry,” as the Director was fond of calling it. […] Under the microscopes, their long tails furiously lashing, spermatozoa were burrowing head first into eggs.” (136). Though the task of fertilization mirrors the process seen today, it will never be kept in such an orderly fashion of government control as seen in the novel. The novel describes thousands upon thousands of fertilizations in a single week, as the government

We are living in a new era where technology can help women have babies in unconventional ways. Having children is a personal choice. In some people’s view, government should not be regulating when people should and should not start having a family. The ethical issue is when the parents start applying for governmental benefits after the baby is conceived via In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and born posthumously. When practicing IVF, are we violating God’s will? This paper is to discuss the views of the four candidates interviewed in relation to posthumous conception and delivery, their views on benefits/inheritance entitlement to these babies, and ethical principles and theories in

This article discusses the first two test tube babies meeting each other at a fertility conference. Through this, it displays how two of the first humans produced by this technology can bond over something such as their specialized births and what "life growing up in the spotlight has been like" (Simpson). The recognition of this event as a medical breakthrough helps to portray the importance of further advancement within this technology. As time continues so does the need to keep up with the new and upcoming technologies, and this article shows the importance of furthering the technology of IVF. The online article analyzed for the resolution of this topic was a book review in Louise Brown's autobiography. The review chose to focus on analyzing the parents of the first test tube baby opposed to the birth itself. This article states the negative effects IVF has had on the world and how it coincides with religion and moral beliefs. The review is very clearly against Louise Brown and what she has to say about the advancement that was her birth. Throughout the review, the author fails to include a counter argument for their

In this paper, I want to talk about what kind of roles the physicians are playing in regulating access to reproductive choice in the United States of America. My focus in this paper is how some doctors are trying to encourage the middle-class heterosexual whites to have reproduction while discouraging the people of color, and gays and lesbians. I want to argue that a lot of American doctors are trying to use their cultural authority as a profession to promote their own preferred family ideal. There are still a lot of discriminations in the United States against women with different social status because there are decent amount of physicians trying to promote the “appropriate reproduction”. For example, race and sexual orientation are continuing to have big impact on the reproductive care offered to and received by women. This paper indicates how doctors exert their power in area like birth. Among all the problems we have, questions regarding to what constitutes appropriate childbearing are at the forefront.

With increasing developments in biotechnology there are now more choices than ever for prospective parents when they decide to start a family. This induces demand for philosophers and ethicists to analyze the moral pertinence of such practices around the world for a wide range of situations. In this paper, I will present the arguments of Dena Davis against sex selective techniques and the subsequent arguments by Sophia Wong that link sex selection and disability de-selection. I will subsequently evaluate Wong’s extension and its viability within the argument established by Davis and defend my conclusion that it is indeed comparable and equivalent arguments due to the congruence of gender and disability expectations in the United States.

Most women in World State are sterilized. The way of creating babies in the New World, requires only one egg, which means that fertile women are not longer needed. The women who aren’t sterilized use contraceptives. This society is also conditioned to exclude people who will get pregnant the normal, or traditional, way because this act is categorized as an act of rebellion against the State. Because of this New World has many abortion clinics for the woman who are pregnant. If World State is in need of new children, they will do a surgery in the woman so they can remove the ovaries to create babies.

Within the first page of this book, Susan Martha Kahn explains how “many Israelis have enthusiastically embraced new reproductive technologies as reasonable solutions to childlessness (Kahn 2000:1),” which sets the tone for this account as a whole, presenting the idea that childlessness is a problem to be solved in Israeli culture. This idea is engrained in the culture, and a barren woman is the center of sympathy. The biblical decree to “be fruitful and multiply” has a very important role for Jewish individuals, many of whom consider reproduction as “an imperative religious duty” Kahn 2000: 3). There is an evident pressure to become a parent in this kinship system, and this pressure falls on virtually all women, regardless of marital status. Many women use New Reproductive Technologies (NRTs) in order to fulfill this duty and give into this pressure, whether explicitly or implicitly; as many women desire to follow the Bible’s commandment, some wish to evade constant questions regarding children, others simply wish to become a mother to fit into the role they picture themselves in, and taking advantage of these treatments is a last resort for some to achieve motherhood (Kahn 2000:17). However, it is important to recognize that, as explained by a rabbi, “she is not obligated to procreate… the obligation to procreate only falls on the man” (Kahn 2000:57). Despite the male obligation to reproduce, women are still socially expected to become mothers. This access to NRTs makes

In God’s Laboratory, Elizabeth Roberts argues that God and doctors have helped socioeconomically disadvantaged patients to receive certain reproductive technologies in contemporary Ecuador. As Roberts details, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and caesarean-section (C-section) are highly sought-after practices among Ecuadorian parents. Through these practices, otherwise infertile parents can have children and parents of color can follow upper-class norms and gain social status. Because many élites say that mule-like black and brown women are better at delivering children than white women, and that women of color do not need reproductive help, one might think that infertile parents of color struggle to find alternative treatments (Roberts 2012: 81).

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) marks a great step forward in medical technology, and Australia is a leader in the field. IVF is now a popular procedure for couples who are infertile or are having trouble conceiving. However, it raises ethical, moral and legal issues including the rights of an individual, property rights, the definition of human life, scientific experimentation versus a potential human life, religion, costs, and community, medical and taxpayer’s rights.

I am a Muslim woman with a Middle Eastern background. Both my parents were born and raised in Egypt. In the Middle East it is almost mandatory that a married couple conceives. Most Middle Eastern families enjoy the idea of creating a family for many reasons, most importantly to secure their future. The authors explain, “Infertile couples face not only emotional difficulties due to their inability to conceive, but also severe difficulties in achieving their social security, social power, and social perpetuity desires (inhorn, 1996)” (25). Therefore, if an Egyptian couple has difficulty conceiving they turn to ARTs. Without doubt the Islamic religion creates guidelines for Assisted Reproduction Technology, but the idea is not completely condemned within the rules of Islam. Most couples who have difficulty conceiving turn to ARTs within the guidelines of Islam.

In today’s society, surrogacy is becoming a more and more popular and common issue. For many couples who cannot or unwilling to carry babies by themselves, surrogacy is the first choice to have their own babies and build a family. The legality of surrogacy is different for every country. There are countries that consider the birth mother as the legal mother while there are those that don't. Besides, a lower price of surrogacy in developing countries drives them to find surrogate mother overseas. Thus, international

Steptoe’s method of fertilizing the egg outside of the woman’s body eliminates many problems associated with reproduction like damaged Fallopian Tubes and decreased sperm mobility. After the successful birth of Louise Brown, Steptoe’s method was used throughout the world to help parents produce children. A human does not choose whether or not he or she is able to conceive children naturally. Sometimes, they are able to successfully without any major problems. However, there are also some that are unable to conceive naturally and require additional assistance. If society bans Steptoe’s method of fertilization, we are also denying any infertile adults the opportunity to produce children, even if they are not doing anything wrong. By using Steptoe’s method fertilization, infertile adults are now receiving the same opportunities as fertile adults. They are able to produce and bear their own children, and their children will receive the same opportunities as non in vitro children. Currently, there are over twelve percent of women and men that are having trouble conceiving children naturally. If humans and society are able to provide them with Steptoe’s method of fertilization, there would be thousands of new births and an increase in the overall human population. Steptoe’s method can also be used to prevent disease.

Marvin Harris’ text “Death, Sex, and Fertility: Population Regulation in Preindustrial and Developing Societies” is reviewed and critiqued in this paper from postmodern standpoint. Marvin Harris was a leading proponent of the cultural materialist theory, which is used in “Death, Sex, and Fertility” to explain population regulation in terms of infrastructure, the component of society dealing with the modes of production and reproduction used by a people to enhance their survival and social wellness. Modes of production (MOPs) are the ways a people produce their means of subsistence, ranging from hunting and gathering to intensive agriculture. Modes of reproduction (MORs) consist of practices that affect reproductive processes that can then affect birth and death rates of a society. These modes include topics such as the care of offspring, the treatment of women, prolonged lactation, and sex, with deviations into abortion, infanticide, and the costs and benefits of child-rearing. In the review section of this paper, each chapter is separately summarized in relation to the MOPs and MORs they mention. The chapters all focus on different periods of time to further explain how contextualized MOPs and MORs are. The critique portion of this paper examines “Death, Sex, and Fertility” from a postmodern theoretical perspective. Basic differences between cultural materialism and postmodernism will be discussed.

Recently, couples who started opting for sperm donations, sometimes also demand to know the “genes” or the caste, for fearing that the baby may not receive the right genes, in case, the donor is of a different caste.

Artificial reproductive technology (ART) is defined as procedures which stimulate a woman 's ovaries to produce eggs, the eggs are then removed, combined with sperm, and then returned to a woman 's body (Bell, 2016). ART is becoming more and more popular throughout that globe. This method of conceiving children gives women who may be struggling with infertility options that were not possible before the advent of such methods. ART is relevant to the sociological definition of global health because it is evidence of the fact that our world has become interdependent especially when it comes to medical technology. However with ART comes the notion of the culture of disguise and in many countries this is an integral part of artificial reproductive technology process. With that being said, sociologists should look to study and understand the culture of disguise in ART as it pertains to global health and it shapes interactions between people and the society they live in.