1,720,967 research outputs found
IVF policies with emphasis on Israeli practices
No full textBackground The social acceptance of IVF has had the effect of shifting the focus of discussion from the earlier disapproval of IVF to its [un]availability. It has also been suggested that affordable ARTs may stop the falling rates of population turnover in Europe. As many couples cannot afford it, let alone in developing countries, there are ongoing efforts to make IVF 'cheaper' and 'affordable'.Objectives This paper reviews IVF policies in several countries before focusing particularly on the exceptional policy of the ARTs in Israel. It analyses the effectiveness of IVF cycles over time as reflected in the literature; examines women's health and welfare after long-term IVF use; and asks whether in a scheme of unlimited free-access to IVF, women would necessarily be better off.Methods Review of the literature dealing with IVF outcomes, policies and practices.Results Long-term effectiveness with IVF is unclear. Age and the number of unsuccessful IVF cycles are predictive of a negative outcome, which is at odds with the Israeli policy of open-ended rounds. Women's health and welfare after long-term IVF remains unclear. In a scheme of unlimited free-access to IVF - in a pro-natalist country - women may end up worse-off.Conclusions A systematic long-term assessment of the health and welfare of the women after IVF - especially after prolonged treatment with IVF - is necessary to develop a reliable, effective and evidence-based policy on assisted reproduction not only in Israel, but also in other countries.IVF Assisted reproduction Women's health Health policy
Genetic screening and reproductive choice: is making a child to save another unethical?
No full textDuring 2002, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in England, which regulates in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics, agreed to allow a family to attempt to create a baby genetically selected to help treat a desperately ill child. The media reaction against this HFEA decision has shown profound outrage, expressing that having a child for the sake of the other is improper, immoral and 'against human dignity'. Other claims were, "we should protect vulnerable human life", and "human beings should not be treated 'as a means to an end"'. None of these moral claims however, stand rational and coherent scrutiny. Thus, this paper maintains that making a child to save the life of his brother is not only ethically permissible but it would rather be unethical NOT to do so
Assisted Reproduction: A Comparative Review of IVF Policies in Two Pro-Natalist Countries
No full textPolicies on reproduction have become an increasingly important tool for governments seeking to meet the so-called demographic 'challenge' created by the combination of low fertility and lengthening life expectancies. However, the tension between the state and the market in health care is present in all countries around the world due to the scare resources available and the understandable importance of the health issues. The field of assisted reproduction, as part of the health care system, is affected by this tension with both-the state's and the market's involvements-carrying important implications. Bulgaria and Israel share the same size of population, are markedly paternalistic and both have strong pro-natalist cultures by which large families are expected. For a range of reasons the two countries contrast sharply, however, in terms of their capacity to intervene in the health system, and also in terms of the political will to act on matters of reproduction. This paper examines how assisted reproduction, as reflected by present policies in both countries, influences women's welfare and considers whose interests the practices of assisted reproduction in these countries actually serve. By reviewing some of the present data on women's status in Bulgaria and Israel and assessing both states' policies and involvement in assisted reproduction this paper helps to identify some of the intended and unintended consequences of assisted reproduction policies in different countries
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