THE MEANING OF PARENTHOOD, FAMILY, AND CHILDREN
Assisted
reproductive techniques, such as artificial insemination
(AI), IVF, or surrogate motherhood, raise important ethical concerns about the meaning of procreation, parenthood, and parental obligations to future children resulting from these techniques.
These techniques introduce the interventions of third parties into what historically has been a private act between a man and a woman. IVF, for instance, requires technicians to bring the sperm and egg together in the laboratory, and physicians to place the embryos into the uterus of the woman. Some argue that the introduction of third parties in assisted reproduction dehumanizes the procreative act. For instance, the Catholic church has long opposed use of these techniques as perverting the sanctity of procreation.
There are also concerns that children created by assisted
reproductive techniques will be perceived by their parents and others as a "product" of these techniques. Such concerns are reinforced by techniques that have been developed that can influence sex selection in IVF or AI, or of manipulating the genome of embryos during the IVF process, either to remedy a genetic defect or to choose certain traits or characteristics. Critics argue that assisted reproduction may lead to an age of "designer" children who are valued and loved not for their inherent worth as fallible human beings but as products designed to meet parental expectations of perfection.
These concerns lead to another, that of possible physical or psychological harm to children who result from these assisted reproductive
technologies. For instance, the multiple births that often result from the use of assisted reproductive techniques (in two cases, even seven and eight babies were born alive) can pose serious physical illnesses and developmental problems for these infants. There is concern that "designer" children might be psychologically harmed by unrealistic expectations of their parents that they meet high standards of physical and mental excellence, although others respond that there is no evidence for this concern.
The reproductive technologies also raise important questions about parenthood and family structure. By separating the genetic, gestational, and rearing functions of parenthood, the techniques challenge deeply held beliefs about parental identity. For instance, in the case of surrogate motherhood, a child may have three "mothers": the genetic, gestational, and rearing mothers. Should one "true" mother be identified, and if so, who should that be? The technologies also enable single persons and persons not in a traditional marriage, such as homosexual or unmarried heterosexual couples, to have children. Some argue that children raised in these nontraditional settings will suffer psychological harm; others respond that there is no evidence for that conclusion, and that married, heterosexual couples are not the only persons who are capable of providing a loving family environment for their children.