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In Judaism, donor insemination is forbidden and a child is considered to be the offspring of the biological father. Artificial insemination using husband's sperm and IVF are accepted when there is need to heal the illness of infertility.
Most individuals have their personal beliefs regarding the "rightness" or otherwise of many of these techniques. Many people believe that embryos should not be used for research because they have the potential to become human beings and, in fact, embryo research is banned in Germany by law.
Others feel that to restrict research is unfair to infertile couples, who should be allowed to make their own choices.
There will always be two views of looking at the technology of assisted conception. At one end of the spectrum, will be people who feel that this technology allows couples to manipulate Nature to produce children and will object to it. At the other end will be people who believe that this technology is a triumph of man's ingenuity, which can be used to overcome Nature's constraints. It will never be possible to reconcile these viewpoints - since these are based on deeply held personal beliefs (and not facts) - and we will have to learn to live with this moral dichotomy. At least this explains the heated debates about when life begins! Since it may never be possible to have a consensus on this issue, this decision should not be left to moralists, or philosophers or the government, or the doctors. Instead, the decision should be left to each individual couple, who provide the reproductive apparatus to create the baby.
Remember, there are no "right" or "wrong" answers - you must follow your own conscience.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
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