Should we take eggs from aborted babies?

Should we take eggs from aborted babies?

www.dailymail.co.uk

Scientists are ready to plunder the ovaries of aborted babies for eggs to use in IVF treatment. Experiments have taken the process almost to completion, it emerged yesterday.

They raise the nightmare prospect of a child whose biological mother has never been born. The news, from a scientific conference in Madrid, was greeted with widespread revulsion at how far science is testing ethical frontiers.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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Every once in a while, I come across something that makes me sit back and say "what the .... is wrong with our society?" and this one ranks up there as one of the worst.

Let me spell out exactly what science proposes to bring to us. Girls, we all know, are born with all the eggs they will ever have. An infant has fully stocked ovaries. So does a sufficiently developed fetus. So does an aborted fetus. It is, therefore, proposed that, following an abortion, the remains be scoured for eggs that can be implanted in a woman who needs them for in-vitro fertilization.

I don't even know where to begin to express my disgust over something like this, but I think it has to begin with bioethics, or rather the lack of them. We are developing science, and scientists, that view human beings as nothing more than sacks of chemicals, and if we need eggs for IVF, how about we just get a woman pregnant with a girl, let it develop to a sufficient state, abort the child and harvest the eggs.

Far fetched? Perhaps, but explain to me how, ethically, it's any different than what is being proposed by these researchers.

Experts warned of appalling emotional and biological problems.

But fertility doctors say the development could ease a worldwide shortage of donated eggs for women who cannot produce their own.

Only last week a British clinic offered cut-price IVF treatment to women who agreed to donate eggs.

Scientists have known for some time that female foetuses develop ovaries after as little as 16 weeks in the womb.

Now researchers from Israel and the Netherlands have kept ovarian tissue from aborted foetuses alive in the laboratory for several weeks.

They stopped the experiment at the point where they believed eggs were about to be produced. Chief researcher Dr Tal Biron-Shental said it was 'theoretically possible' that with extra hormone treatment they could have produced mature eggs suitable for IVF use.

He claimed it would be ethically 'almost the same' as existing techniques.

Details of the major research programme were unveiled at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Madrid.

www.dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

So would you prefer that childless couples remain childless?

As long as people aren't aborting the baby's TO harvest the eggs, Im not seeing the moral quandary, I suppose the childless couple could always adopt instead.

The implications are for me horrific, can you imagine a child growing up and saying " mummy where did I come from?" The reply ....honey you came from an abortion. SICK SICK SICK. I have every sympathy with people needing IVF, it took me 7 years to have a child so I am not against the medical profession helping with infertility matters but for crying out loud we don't need to be going down the path of using abortions. What will it be next? Solient green.

Originally posted by benrl
So would you prefer that childless couples remain childless?

No, personally, I would like to see more childless couples adopt rather than have IVF.

Of course, many people are naturally selfish and MUST have their own offspring.

Sadly, their children grow up in a world full of kids who don't give a damn about the world around them because nobody gave or gives a damn about them.

Should we take eggs from aborted babies?

On one hand it has the possibility of changing the lives of many childless couples.
On the other hand it will indirectly encourage abortion.

So the answer to your question is both YES and NO.
Its like asking :-
Should I kill a a person to give birth to another person?

My answer would be NO but again if it can really help millions of childless couples and it proves to be better than other methods like IVF than I may think about it again.

What is terrible about it? We already use stem cells from aborted fetuses. I mean, they're dead. It's not going to hurt them. It's the same as being a doner. Is that disgusting, too?

who would have thought? This whole thing is bizarre IMO..I agree...something just isn't right about an aborted fetus eggs being harvested for birth of another child..it just doesn't make sense? Weird....I also agree the couples should adopt before having IVF..Like they should have to adopt first and then they could have IVF.

I don't know..really I guess it's none of my business either way. I would NEVER have abortion and I would NEVER have IVF..so whatever I guess..it does make feel all weird inside when I think about aborted fetus eggs being used..

Sorry, strange double post...

Originally posted by benrl
As long as people aren't aborting the baby's TO harvest the eggs, Im not seeing the moral quandary

Because there are risks associated with egg retrieval for in-vitro fertilization, hence the current shortage of eggs to implant. There are no risks, of course, if you are harvesting the eggs from an aborted fetus. Combined with a deplorable lack of bioethics, it is not inconceivable that this is how all eggs will be gathered at some point.

Potential Risks Associated with Egg Retrieval

After the hormone treatment has stimulated the ovaries to produce more eggs, those eggs must be retrieved. The retrieval surgery takes place about 36 hours after the injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which signals the follicles to prepare to ovulate. In ovulation, a follicle ruptures and expels the egg from the follicular sac, after which the egg will travel through the fallopian tube toward the uterus. Egg retrieval is timed to catch the eggs shortly before they would start this journey, at a point at which they are ready for fertilization but are still within their follicles and they can easily be found.

To retrieve the eggs, a surgeon places a device into the vagina that pushes a needle through the vagina wall and into the ovary (see Figure 3-1). All of the movements are guided by ultrasound technology. Once the needle is inside the ovary, it is maneuvered to pierce one follicle after another. When the needle is inside a follicle, suction is applied to pull the follicular fluid out through a tube and into a test tube. Floating within the fluid extracted from the follicles will be the target of the procedure: the oocytes.

The surgery, which generally lasts about 30 minutes, is done on an outpatient basis, and the woman usually goes home a few hours after the eggs are retrieved. This procedure is considered to be minor surgery. Nonetheless, it is still a surgical procedure done under anesthesia, and both the surgery and the anesthesia carry potential risks. Several speakers at the workshop described these potential risks and detailed what is known about them. (Source)

At present adult women DO donate eggs for use in IVF that is their choice and I see nothing wrong with that in fact I think it is a wonderful thing to do. I see no need in the present times to use abortions to harvest eggs. Many babies are taken away from their parents at birth due to being deemed * too much at risk*. This then leaves babies up for adoption. The only people that I see complain about the adoptive process are people that have been refused as adoptive parents. Maybe they are not fit enough to be parents and should not be having children in the first place. Yes I know some people say it is every persons right to have a family but I do not agree with that view. Aborted babies should not be used as commodities. How long before some twisted doctors agree to pay for the aborted foetuses? What is worse is the thought of how many low lifes would actually get pregnant just to earn a quick buck by *selling* the aborted foetus. Don't think it will not happen, it happens with kidneys etc already. This just makes the sanctity of life one more point lower on the scale of importance.

I read the title and tried to skip it. However I'm taking ethics right now, and it sucked me back in. How can people even entertain this idea, and still sleep at night? If people want IVF it will only be half their child anyway. So why don't they just adopt the baby that got aborted? Why was the baby aborted, bad genetics, FAS, MR. Some people should take what they have and deal with it. The thought of where society is heading makes me throw up a little. Can anybody think of a universal logically rational reason to support this?


__add; Why do you need a license to drive a car, a background check for almost every job, first time homebuyers classes, yet anyone can procreate? Trust me I hate big government but couldn't we shuffle some resources in the schools to do a little better in the actual education of our youth?

I like to think of myself as quiet a libral thinking kind of person and if its right for you, do it. I am not against abortion and I am not against IVF or reproductive help.

But I think I'm against harvesting eggs from an aborted foetus for IVF or reproductive assistance. It really does seem to be a huge contradiction. Hard to wrap my head around this one.

Originally posted by squizzy
At present adult women DO donate eggs for use in IVF that is their choice and I see nothing wrong with that in fact I think it is a wonderful thing to do. I see no need in the present times to use abortions to harvest eggs. Many babies are taken away from their parents at birth due to being deemed * too much at risk*. This then leaves babies up for adoption. The only people that I see complain about the adoptive process are people that have been refused as adoptive parents. Maybe they are not fit enough to be parents and should not be having children in the first place. Yes I know some people say it is every persons right to have a family but I do not agree with that view. Aborted babies should not be used as commodities. How long before some twisted doctors agree to pay for the aborted foetuses? What is worse is the thought of how many low lifes would actually get pregnant just to earn a quick buck by *selling* the aborted foetus. Don't think it will not happen, it happens with kidneys etc already. This just makes the sanctity of life one more point lower on the scale of importance.

Here in the US the price tag for adoption is a hefty one that starts around the $30k mark by the time it is all said and done. For some it just isn't feasible to adopt simply because of the cost involved. This is why many parents looking to adopt inside the US would seek adoption outside of the US just to save some money on the costs involved. Sadly this is also becoming harder and harder as the list of places that can be adopted from are growing smaller with each passing day.

Originally posted by MyLifeRocks
On the other hand it will indirectly encourage abortion.

I think that's a bit of a stretch. An abortion isn't a decision that's come too lightly by a vast majority of people. I find it highly unlikely that anyone would get pregnant for the express purpose of aborting the fetus to harvest eggs. None of that makes sense.

reply to post by iwontrun


reply to post by iwontrun


You wrote:

If people want IVF it will only be half their child anyway. So why don't they just adopt the baby that got aborted?

This is wrong. Couples can have their own biological child with IVF, "if "they don't need donated sperm or eggs. Which is actually more the case, then using a donation. Generalisation of IVF treatment is very annoying.
So many reasons that IVF maybe needed.

reply to post by links234


Really, you don't think for 5 grand that some women would do that? I know students that sell plasma less pain however less money.

reply to post by feelingconnected
OK yes but the IVF were discussing here is where for one reason or another a woman needs an egg or three. So in being is it ethical to harvest eggs from an aborted fetus and what type of ethical issues it may pose.
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying IVF is wrong my sister tried to have it done because she couldn't have kids due to a childhood accident. I'm just saying harvesting eggs from an aborted fetus is unethically abhorrent.

reply to post by iwontrun


Ok, just wanted to clarify what you ment . There are many that are not informed properly and much generalisation on the IVF/assisted reproduction topic. Thanks for reply.

I have IVF children after many yrs of heart ache, biologically ours. To be in a place you have to rely on a donor would place another whole level 'ethically and emotional' on the treatment.

I believe if needed we would have went this way. But to use eggs from an aborted baby. In our deepest darkest moments of infertility. I honestly don't think I could have.

But again not having to choose this path makes it easier not to agree with it. If that makes sense.

Originally posted by adjensen
Let me spell out exactly what science proposes to bring to us. Girls, we all know, are born with all the eggs they will ever have. An infant has fully stocked ovaries. So does a sufficiently developed fetus. So does an aborted fetus. It is, therefore, proposed that, following an abortion, the remains be scoured for eggs that can be implanted in a woman who needs them for in-vitro fertilization.

Why don't they just cut out the middle man and give the baby to the woman who wants one? Instead, they want to abort one baby, harvest it, then use her eggs to have another baby?

I am pro-choice (grudgingly) but this is insane. This is not saving lives like with stem cells. This is just for somebody's convenience and wishes.