Modern medicine has advanced significantly in the methods of artificial conception, and today, almost any couple can give birth to a child if an appropriate method is applied. From a wide variety of practices, medical specialists, as a rule, choose the one that best suits the physiological characteristics of a particular pair or one of the partners. For instance, according to Steinberg, “the most common treatment for male infertility is artificial insemination,” and for women, specific fertility drugs are prescribed to stimulate ovulation (66).
Also, there are alternative methods, for example, surrogate motherhood that is a common practice among those couples who are not able to have children and are forced to resort to the help of third parties. One of the most advanced techniques is in vitro fertilization that implies conception separately from the uterus. All these approaches help many couples to overcome their difficulties and become parents.
Although all the aforementioned practices of artificial insemination can solve a number of difficulties, they may entail some ethical nuances. In particular, one of the essential issues is the need to tell a child about the method of his or her conception. Certainly, the advantage of such a decision is parents’ sincerity and trust towards the son or daughter. Nevertheless, the consequences of the revealed truth may be severe.
For example, a child who has learned that he or she was bred by another woman or was conceived outside a mother may feel inferior, which, in turn, is fraught with psychological trauma. The desire to separate oneself from parents and reject the human origin is one of the probable consequences of such knowledge. In order to avoid this threat, it is crucial to take into account the peculiarities of each individual child in order not to injure his or her psyche and live happily, despite the method of fertilization.
Work Cited
Steinberg, Laurence, et al. Development: Infancy Through Adolescence. Cengage Learning, 2010.