In the developing world, the choices available to
couples for fertility treatments in the 21st century are
wider than ever before. This is a time when most types
of infertility can be treated by modern 'test-tube'
methods, yet reproduction itself has become inextricably
bound with social and political trends - declining birth
rates, delayed first pregnancy, childbirth beyond the
age of 40, the state funding of infertility treatment -
fertility treatment is a hot topic, high on the agenda
of politicians in their efforts to reverse declining
national fertility rates.
The range of new
technologies is expansive, from embryo selection by
genetic analysis to egg donation in the over-forties and
cryopreservation. Today, the 'assistance' of conception
with treatments such as IVF reflects a life-choice whose
context is immediately social, cultural, personal, and
political.
Arguing that these new technologies
allow the 'design' of babies in a way which is far
beyond the spontaneity of nature, Bart Fauser and Paul
Devroey describe the new treatments, consider what they
can do, and look at how far they have come in shaping
our everyday lives. Considering the wider implications
of fertility treatment, they also look at the issues it
raises, and evaluate how far treatments can, and should,
go.
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