IntroductionThe topic of reproductive technology has created a lot of controversy in the last decade. With the advancements in technology and the never ending search for new and better ways of improving one's life, reproductive technology has been a hot topic of dispute. There are many who support the idea and many who oppose it. Before we begin, it is important to identify the characteristics of the underlying argument in question; "The government should not fund reproductive technology". Because this statement entails many complications, we will first start by dividing the statement into two distinct parts: "Reproductive Technology" and "Government Funding". Dividing the statement in ...view middle of the document...
There are many key differences between the different forms of reproductive technology. To put things into perspective, we will describe the most popular and controversial forms of reproductive technology.Cloning is a procedure that creates a new human life without the physical act of sexual intercourse. The nucleus of a mature but unfertilized egg is removed from the woman and replaced with a nucleus obtained from a specialized somatic cell of an adult organism. An unlimited number of genetically identical individuals could be produced through this process .Artificial insemination is when sperm is placed is placed into a female's vagina, uterus or fallopian tubes using artificial means rather than intercourse .In vitro fertilization is a technique whereby egg cells are fertilized outside the mother's body in cases where conception is impossible through normal intercourse. The "in vitro" refers to the test tubes .Surrogacy is a reproductive technology that involves a woman carrying a child for another woman, who may have fertility problems, health problems, or some other reason for not wanting to carry a child to term. The woman will often be fertilized by artificial methods with the sperm of the other woman's husband or will be impregnated with the conceptus produced from the woman's ova and her husband's sperm through in vitro fertilization .It is also important to mention stem cells because they can be used as the basis for cloning. Stem cells have the ability to become any type of cell to form skin, bones, organs, or other body parts. There are three forms of stem cells: embryonic stem cells, embryonic germ cells, and adult stem cells. Stem cells are used for a wide range of medical uses, from repairing tissue to treating diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer, and heart disease. Cloning stem cells make it easier for researchers. Instead of collecting millions of stem cells to grow a patch of skin, doctors could collect only a few stem cells and make millions of copies .Arguments "For" Reproductive TechnologyThe arguments supporting reproductive technology are mainly embraced by those incapable of conceiving a baby through sexual intercourse. Scientists and researchers are also in favor of these new ways of reproductive technology because of their involvement and interest in this new form of technology. The basis for the argument resides on the fact that alternative methods are inadequate and that this new form of technology can provide couples with their desire to have their own child as opposed to adopting a child.The problem unique to adoption is that these cases involve an existing child, and in most cases, existing parents. In the words of Barbara Katz Rothman "For every pair of welcoming arms, there is a pair of empty arms. For every baby taken in, there is a baby given up". With the use of these new reproductive technologies, parents can now have their own baby instead of the painful and emotionally hard process of adoptin...
