Mecija, Joan Marie S.

In Vitro Fertilization: Ethical Issues on Sperm and

Egg Cell Donation

Introduction
The spread of technologies of intervention in the processes of human procreation raises
very serious moral problems in relation to the respect due to the human being from the moment
of conception, to the dignity of the person, of his or her sexuality, and of the transmission of life.
With this Instruction the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in fulfilling its responsibility
to promote and defend the Church's teaching in so serious a matter, addresses a new and heartfelt
invitation to all those who, by reason of their role and their commitment, can exercise a positive
influence and ensure that, in the family and in society, due respect is accorded to life and love. It
addresses this invitation to those responsible for the formation of consciences and of public
opinion, to scientists and medical professionals, to jurists and politicians. It hopes that all will
understand the incompatibility between recognition of the dignity of the human person and
contempt for life and love, between faith in the living God and the claim to decide arbitrarily the
origin and fate of a human being.
The path through infertility is a difficult one for would be parents, littered with anxiety,
sadness, and desperation. For this reason many couple seeks any advantage or hope that a doctor
can provide. The medical research and treatment field is making true what once was thought
possible only in science fiction: artificial joints and organs, laser surgeries, and drug therapies for
nearly any condition or inconvenience. The use of it as an Assisted Reproductive Technology has
become a common solution to the fertility problems experienced by many couples. However, the
standard practice, while blessing to infertile couples, is fraught with ethical concerns which the
patient must be prepared to consider.
A woman eggs are the largest cells in the human body and filled with mostly fluid. This
makes it difficult to properly, safely freeze and then thaw them. As all the fluid expands during
the freezing process the cell wall and spindles can be damaged. When this occurs it is highly that,
if fertilized, the egg would be able to implant itself in the uterus.
Without benefit of these future technologies the questions still remain: what should be
done in the mean time? Infertile couple must be cautious. It is clear in vitro fertilization has been
able to have own children naturally. It is important to remember that there is nothing wrong with
pursuing a family through IVF.

Today, sperm banks and ovum donations agencies are on the rise. Eager, prospective
parents that are unable to conceive on their own often seek scientific help. They are more than
willing to spend the lavish expenses on human gametes and the procedures that go along with the
process in order to have a family. It is debatable whether donors should be financially reimbursed
for their donations of either sperm or eggs. For both parties, the recipient and the donor must go
through an extensive and laborious process. The donation process for both males and females is
not simple and requires an extensive background check of current medical history, past family
medical and psychological history, lifestyle evaluation, and a self-evaluation.

Then God said, Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;
Male and female he created them.
God bless them and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth
-Genesis 1:26-28a)

Objectives
1. Should the sperm or egg cell paid or unpaid?
2. Should the couple choose egg or sperm cell that has no genetic abnormality?
3. What will happen to the unused sperm and egg cell on the bank?

Related Literatures
According to Kyle Dayton and Maeleen Witte, the donation of human gametes is not a
new creation in the world of science, nor is it old, as it has only been around for about half a
century. Novel discoveries on donation and usage of human gametes are still being made, and
acceptance of the highly controversial ideas of gamete donation and infertility procedures are
still being discussed. The very first attempt at collecting human gametes began in the 1950 s
where male gametes, sperm, were frozen by cryogenics. It was not socially acceptable to donate
sperm until about the 1970s where sperm banks opened and it became more acceptable by the
public. Nearly a decade later, female gametes, eggs (or ovum), were donated to help infertile
women be able to conceive. With the help of scientific reproduction such as assisted reproductive

technologies (ART), men and women who once struggled with infertility were able to have a
baby of their own.
According to the journal Medical Ethics (2000), Donor Insemination (DI) in which a
fertile man provides semen for an infertile couple or individual was first reported by Addison
Hard in 1909. Oocyte provision by a fertile woman for an infertile couple dates back little more
than ten years. Records of the origin and history of DI, indicate that semen was supplied with no
money changing hands. It is therefore appropriate to describe this first provider as a donor.
According to Donum Vitae, Techniques of fertilization in vitro can open the way to other
forms of biological and genetic manipulation of human embryos, such as attempts or plans for
fertilization between human and animal gametes and the gestation of human embryos in the
uterus of animals, or the hypothesis or project of constructing artificial uteruses for the human
embryo. These procedures are contrary to the human dignity proper to the embryo, and at the
same time they are contrary to the right of every person to be conceived and to be born within
marriage and from marriage. Also, attempts or hypotheses for obtaining a human being without
any connection with sexuality through "twin fission", cloning or parthenogenesis are to be
considered contrary to the moral law, since they are in opposition to the dignity both of human
procreation and of the conjugal union.
The freezing of embryos, even when carried out in order to preserve the life of an embryo
- cryopreservation - constitutes an offence against the respect due to human beings by exposing
them to grave risks of death or harm to their physical integrity and depriving them, at least
temporarily, of maternal shelter and gestation, thus placing them in a situation in which further
offences and manipulation are possible.
Conclusion
In Vitro Fertilization is accepted by the Church and through science we can developed the
different technology and study about the "artificial procreation" or " artificial fertilization". At
the end of some circumstances of the act, we cannot justify the angle of morally illicit. In
addition, it is morally illicit because we can deprive the human procreation that has
characteristics of virtue of mother and their children. These reasons lead to a negative moral
judgment concerning heterologous artificial fertilization: consequently fertilization of a married
woman with the sperm of a donor different from her husband and fertilization with the husband's
sperm of an ovum not coming from his wife are morally illicit. Furthermore, the artificial
fertilization of a woman who is unmarried or a widow, whoever the donor may be, cannot be
morally justified. But in other point it will became a morally licit because it will have a surrogate
mother in this reasons which lead one to reject heterologous artificial fertilization: for it is
contrary to the unity of marriage and to the dignity of the procreation of the human person.
Surrogate motherhood represents an objective failure to meet the obligations of maternal love, of
conjugal fidelity and of responsible motherhood; it offends the dignity and the right of the child

to be conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the world and brought up by his own parents;
it sets up, to the detriment of families, a division between the physical, psychological and moral
elements which constitute those families. Although the sperm and egg cells have expiration dates
if it is not use even though it is in the bank and freeze. The couple will choose the sperm and egg
cells who are not abnormal genetics and also we can choose the surrogate who is capable to
embryo implanted in her uterus and fertilized through insemination with the sperm of the other
than her husband. And the both party have a commissioned in the pregnancy and their made a
agreement.