Case Study Reproductive Issues

Case Study Reproductive Issues
Discussion: Case Study Reproductive Issues

FIRST, Consider this case study:

A 35-year-old female contacts you regarding a letter she received from an infertility clinic where she contracted services for in-vitro fertilization some fifteen years ago. The letter states that she has five embryos frozen in cryopreservation and her agreement is due to expire in six months. The infertility clinic is asking what she would like to have done with the embryos at the expiration of the contract. The contract stipulated that she could continue the cryopreservation process on a year-to-year basis at $300 annually. The woman was unaware that she had any embryos still in cryopreservation and is stunned to find out that she is now responsible for determining their fate. She is currently divorced from the man whose sperm was used in the in-vitro fertilization process and she has sole custody of their children.

At the same time, the former husband received the same letter due to legal stipulations in the informed consent process at the time of the in-vitro process. The letter states the mother has the right to determine what to do with the embryos (which includes offering the embryos for adoption or donating them for research purposes), unless she chooses to have the embryos destroyed. In the latter case, the partner’s consent would be necessary, regardless of marital status. Further complicating the matter is that the ex-husband’s visitation rights had been taken away due to allegations surrounding child neglect and abuse, and the woman does not want to reopen a custody battle in the courts for fear her ex-husband might regain visitation rights. Also, she had recently lost her job and, although she has found new employment, it pays substantially less. She says she is barely getting by and is not financially prepared to handle the $300 fee to keep the embryos in cryopreservation. The woman tells you she is a Roman Catholic. She has not gone to church in quite some time but is aware of the Catholic Church’s position on abortion and does not feel it is right to simply dispose of the embryos. Furthermore, destruction of the embryos would require the husband’s consent, and she does not want to re-establish contact if avoidable.

SECOND,

A. Please respond to following prompt in a 200 words response

Despite financial hardship, does the divorced couple (or at least the woman) have an obligation to maintain the embryos in cryopreservation? Or should the woman simply offer the embryos for adoption to avoid re-establishing contact with her former husband and the corresponding risks to her children should contact occur? Is there another ethically permissible option? In your post, draw on at least two of the sources you viewed and read for this module.