• Question: IVF is a much debated topic with Philosophy. What are you thoughts on the VALUE of human life due to IVF?

    Asked by rawr94 to Claire, Greg, Jane, Jo, Nuruz, Vicki on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Vicki Onions

      Vicki Onions answered on 20 Jun 2010:

      Hi rawr
      This question scared me a bit when i first read it, because philosophical thoughts bamboozle me….but having read it a second time, i think what you are asking is actually very simple -you’re asking what i think of the value of human life due to IVF; so what is the value of human life arising from IVF?
      Well thats simple…a human born as a result of IVF is just as valuable as a human born as a result of “natural” fertilisation – they are no less valuable either to their parents or society…and that is that all human life is invaluable.
      But…having said that, like i mentionned, philosophy often scrambles my mind so if i have missed the point or the meaning of your question, let me know and i’ll have another crack at it 🙂

    • Photo: Jo Broadbent

      Jo Broadbent answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      A hottly-debated topic indeed! I think that human life however it starts is very precious. Whether that’s conception by ivf or ‘naturally’. One of the really tricky things about my job is trying to compare the ‘value’ of the different health treatments we provide that either keep people alive longer (like cancer drugs) or in the case of ivf, create life in the first place. Put crudely, if we only have a fixed amount of money, should we spend it on new treatments for cancer to keep children with leukaemia alive longer? Or should we spend it on better treatment for heart attacks to keep older adults alive longer? Or should we spend more on ivf to create new life? Whose life is most valuable? Whose life is more precious? And how can we put a ‘value’ on different lives anyway? I don’t have an answer but using science to try and make fair decisions about how we spend the lited money in the nhs is part of my job.
      The exciting thing about my job is that I look at ALL areas of health. From the health of unborn babies to the health problems of the very old. Imagine you have 1 million pounds to spend on making your whole town healthier. What wOuld you do to get more ‘health’ for your money? Would you encourage more people to give up smoking, or have more dentists, or more heart surgeons, or pay for more ivf? Now imagine you had to spend 1 million less than is spent now. What would you cut? Are dentists or heart doctors or ivf least important to the health of your town? Using science to try to answer those sorts of questions is what I do. Jo

    • Photo: Greg FitzHarris

      Greg FitzHarris answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Hi there,

      Whoa, thats a bit deep!

      Certainly I think a human born after IVF is just as valuable as one born ‘normally’. Is that what you mean?

    • Photo: Claire O'Donnell

      Claire O'Donnell answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      I think all human life has equal value whether the person is born after their parents have been treated by IVF or whether they were conceived naturally. Have I missed the point of your question?

    • Photo: Jane Cleal

      Jane Cleal answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      This is a scary question raw!
      All humans are equally valuable whether born by ivf or naturally. I don’t think it de-values human life by helping create more human life. I mean they are using the natural egg and sperm of the parents, just giving them a helping hand to fertilize!
      I suppose you could worry about the embryos not chosen to put in the mum and whether we are not valuing their life by using them…

Comments

  • Photo: rawr94

    rawr94 commented on :

    Some interesting responses. To answer Greg, yes, that is what I meant with the question. In response to many of the answers, you say that humans born by IVF are equally valuable to naturally born humans. But is that to say that with the technology today, IVF is the best possible way of giving birth?

    • Photo: Vicki

      Vicki commented on :

      Hi rawr – no i don’t think thats what we’re saying – at least not me anyway! What i was saying that the value of the human produced is no different (better or worse) than a human produced by natural conception.
      If you mean, is the value of IVF greater than the value of natural conception – then again i would say one is no better or worse than the other, IVF provides an alternative where natural conception has failed