Bioethical problems in vitro fertilisation techniques

Abstract

Introduction. With the complex interaction between rapid scientific development and social values changing, the essential goal of bioethics is to analyse the facts in relation to the changing values in contemporary society. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is an illustrative case of this dynamic process, involving a number of new ethical challenges. The effects and safety of IVF subtly transcend into more complex questions about what it means for society to bear and give birth to children such as: age limits, “ownership” of gametes and embryos, IVF in single women and same-sex couples, preimplantation genetic testing, freezing, commercialization of embryos, public funding of IVF, etc. Aim of study. The aim of the research is to illustrate the bioethical and moral complexity invoked by IVF and the social values changes in the Republic of Moldova. Methods and materials. International and national scientific literature which studies the medical, bioethical, moral, social and legal aspects of IVF. The methods were applied: bioethical principles, methods of applied ethics, analysis, synthesis, etc Results. About 20-25% of couples in the Republic of Moldova face the impossibility of conceiving a child. Infertility is a problem with many and varied causes. IVF has become one of the leading technologies for advanced human reproduction, and the happiness of having a baby is closer than ever. Currently, couples in our country suffering from infertility have the opportunity to resort to all variants of the in vitro fertilisation process, and more and more medical institutions offer a full range of reproductive services, including freezing of eggs and embryos. However, there are probably the most problematic and controversial topics in bioethics when it comes to unnatural methods that lead to the formation of a pregnancy with the intervention of a doctor. Conclusion. The many questions and uncertainties that may arise from the decision to use assisted reproduction techniques, including IVF, need to focus on the consequences for future generations. At the current stage there is no consensus, neither scientifically, nor legally, nor religiously. Medically assisted methods of reproduction have become an integral part of bioethics, which in turn cannot ignore the values and fundamental elements of our condition: life, family, kinship, availability of one's own body, etc.