REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY: A
MORAL ISSUE
A Case Analysis
Presented to the
Faculty of the Theology Department
College of Arts and Sciences
San Beda College, Mendiola, Manila
__________________________________________________________
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Subject Requirements in
ThED 4 – Moral Theology
For the completion of the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Legal Management
Presented by:
Ballesteros, Pamela Vivien
Benavidez, Kristelyn
De Guzman, Michelle
Legaspi, John Patrick
Lorica, Rica
Merzo, Editha Rose
October 30, 2015
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Abstract
Reproductive technology is one of the most popular moral issues. This paper overviews the
significance and relevance of the reproductive technology in our daily moral living. It gives an
outline of the reality, causes, consequences and people’s reactions, motives and mentalities about
the issue. Also, the definitions, forms, causes and effects and other related articles about
reproductive technology. The biblical, church and other professional’s perspectives were also
discussed in the paper. The moral principles that are being violated and not violated by the issue
were studied in the paper. The planning and carrying out the actions aimed at transforming the
social structures that contribute to suffering and injustice were suggested. The method used for
the paper are the combination of different ideas from the internet, also from articles found and
interviews from some of the friends of the researchers. This paper concludes that reproductive
technology should consider the determinants in determining if the issue violates or not, the moral
principles.
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I. INTRODUCTION
Tradition
Before, people believed in the tradition of Obando Fertility Rites. It is a dance ritual
and Catholic festival celebrated every May in Obando, Bulacan, Philippines. Locals and
pilgrims, sometimes dressed in traditional costume, dance and sing in the town‘s streets to honor
and beseech Obando’s three patron saints: San Pascual (Paschal Baylon), Santa Clara (Clare of
Assisi) and Nuestra Señora de Salambáo (Our Lady of Salambao).
The Rites and dancing are held over a triduum: 17 May for St. Paschal Baylon, 18 May
for St. Clare, and 19 May for Our Lady of Salambáo. Each of the three days usually starts with
a Mass said by the parish priest in the morning. A procession is held immediately after the
service, consisting of the three saints’ images followed by bands playing instruments made
of bamboo or brass, and devotees who dance the fandango while singing the traditional
hymn, Santa Clara Pinung-Pino (Saint Clare, Most Refined). The image of each saint leads the
procession on his or her designated feast day.
The Rites, especially the fertility dance, are popular with pilgrims from other parts of the
Philippines, most of whom supplicate the triad of saints for a child, spouse, or simply good
fortune. The devotees joyously dance on the streets as a form of prayer, asking for the spirit of
life to enter into the wombs of women.
The Philippine national hero, José Rizal, mentioned the Rites in Chapter 6 (“Captain
Tiago”) of his 1887 Spanish novel, Noli Me Tángere.
Ban and Post-War Revival
During the Second World War, the church and a large portion of Obando were ravaged by
fire; included amongst the damaged property were the images of the three patron saints. A few
years after the war’s end, both the Archbishop of Manila and the vicar of Obando Church forbade
the practise of the fertility dance due to its pagan origins. During the prohibition, normal
religious processions were conducted without the lively street dancing.
In 1972, parish priest Rev. Fr. Rome R. Fernández and the Komisyon ng
Kalinangan (Commission on Culture) of Obando helped in having the ban lifted and in reviving
the ancient dance ritual, which is still practiced to this day.
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Reproductive Technology
Reproductive technology has come a long way in the last twenty years and continues to
make expansive advances. The question “where do babies come from” is becoming harder and
harder to answer. The response used to sound something like “when a man and a woman love
each other very much, then automatically, they tend to make love and produce another life,
which is a baby, as a result.”
Nowadays, the issue about infertility has never been strange because people already
developed reproductive technologies as a solution. There are many reproductive technologies
developed but two of which are the most common, namely, the artificial insemination and in
vitro fertilization. Now, with in vitro fertilization, they go to see a doctor and look through a
catalog to pick what kind of baby they want.
That is already true to some degree today. If a man or a woman is infertile, they can look
for sperm or egg donors, try fertility drugs or use in vitro fertilization to bring together their own
genetic material in a petri dish. In the case of donors, potential parents are poring over donor’s
medical history, physical description, and social standing in order to find a worthy candidate to
supply the genetic material of their offspring. This process has several moral implications.
Most of the schools of thought that we have studied seem to condemn these scientific
practices, but maybe these new technologies will result in the creation of new philosophical
schools of thought. There are positive aspects to reproductive technology, people who may not
have been able to have children have been afforded the opportunity to do so, potentially fatal
diseases will be eliminated, and overall quality increase, at least in the beginning.
Ever since the birth of Louise Brown, the first IVF baby, artificial reproductive
technology (ART) has been a topic of fascination for scientists and society alike.
However, thought to the repercussions of the applications of ART are being disregarded
to some extent while the public’s knowledge and the understanding of embryologists and
geneticists surges forward. It is possible given consideration to things such as the morality of
these techniques, the unexplored alternative uses of these procedures, and the potential impact
they possess that further development is unnecessary and possibly dangerous.
Morality in Catholic Church
Within Christianity there are many differing opinions on the morality of the procedures
taken for artificial insemination. According to some Catholic literature, “To achieve union but
not children by means of contraceptives and to achieve children but not union by means of
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artificial insemination are both equally wrong.” Heterosexual intercourse is viewed by some in
the Catholic community as a sacramental act meant to be experienced only by married couples; it
is viewed as a physical representation of the spiritual unity of marriage between a husband and
wife. Artificial insemination “dissociates the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which
brings the child into existence is no longer an act by two persons giving themselves to one
another, but one that ‘entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and
biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human
person. Such a relationship of domination is, in itself, contrary to the dignity and equality that
must be common to parents and children.”
II. CONTENT
II.1. SEE
The quick fix to infertility is said to be the assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Just
look at the cover of many magazines and you will see features of otherwise infertile women
using surrogates to become pregnant or undergoing in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination.
With all the attention on the end result of pregnancy by any means possible, the medical and
entertainment industries have not regarded the physical, emotional, and spiritual ramifications of
scientifically produced children on the everyday woman. These women are our wives, sisters,
and friends. As Christians we want to support them in infertility or get straight answers if we
ourselves are dealing with this problem.
IVF makes the child a commodity produced in a laboratory, and makes doctors,
technicians, and even business people part of the conception process. The sperm used is usually
obtained by masturbation, which the Church teaches is immoral. The sperm or eggs used may not
come from the couple desiring the child; because one of the spouses may be infertile, it may be
necessary to use the sperm or eggs from an outsider. Children conceived through IVF also have a
greater incidence of birth defects.
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Medical clinics advertise IVF with the emotionally laden promises of taking home a new
baby, but what they do not reveal are the long, painful procedures that lead to complete
fertilization. Drug therapy, invasive and time-consuming treatments, the ethical considerations of
masturbation, destroying fertilized embryos, aborting implanted embryos, and a low success rate
should all be considered while making this decision. Emotional costs are great as well.
Research testifies that the desire to have a baby remains one of the most primal and deep-
seated desires of women. However, now more than ever, some couples find their desires and
plans thwarted by infertility. As pressure mounts to have children (from society, family, and even
church members), frustrations escalate within themselves and their marriage. Our society has
spoken loud and clear about infertility, bombarding us with advertisements for solutions, setting
up icons that miraculously become pregnant, and focusing a significant amount of attention on
the glorification of motherhood.
IVF can wreak havoc on a woman’s body and reproductive organs. The body was not
made to endure hyperovulation, multiple pregnancies at the same time, and hormonal drugs.
Most Christians believe that taking care of their bodies reflects the image of God, but in vitro
may compromise the physical body.
In the IVF process, embryos may be damaged through handling and exposure. Even if the
baby comes to term, a strong likelihood exists that he or she will be born prematurely; with a low
birth rate and complications. This is especially true of multiple births. Premature babies are
usually characterized by slower development, a susceptibility to illness, and a higher chance of
infant mortality. In addition to these medical complications, girl babies may have higher rates of
infertility because of the use of fertility drugs during conception.
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In the end, couples must come to a unified decision for each other, themselves, and their
potential children. Both spouses need to determine if IVF and the results of the process are
glorifying to God, and consider if the physical risks of IVF—for the wife and the potential
children—seem appropriate and wise.
Child has the right to be conceived in the marital embrace of his parents. Human
sexuality has two components, the unitive and procreative; IVF separates these components and
makes the procreative its only goal. Pope Paul VI said that there is an “inseparable connection,
willed by God, and unable to be broken by man on his own initiative, between the two meanings
of the conjugal act: the unitive meaning and the procreative meaning.”
II.2. JUDGE/DISCERN
II.2.a
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is the use of reproductive technology to treat
