Home> Science & Math> Table of Contents> Background for Teachers>

Background for Teachers   The basics of ART are given in beginning background section. Once familiar with the material the teacher can assess how much general knowledge the students have in ways to make a baby. A brainstorming activity will be a good exercise to assess level of familiarity. The information below was obtained from http://www.drmalpani.com/makeababy.htm A TV program produced in the USA in 2002 described 18 ways to make a baby. These included: Natural sex Artificial insemination -- of mother with father's sperm Artificial insemination -- of mother with donor sperm Artificial insemination -- with egg and sperm donors, using surrogate mother In vitro fertilization (IVF) -- using egg and sperm of parents IVF -- with Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) IVF -- with frozen embryos IVF -- with Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) IVF -- with egg donor IVF -- with sperm donor IVF -- with egg and sperm donor IVF -- with surrogate using parents' egg and sperm IVF -- with surrogate and egg donor IVF -- with surrogate and sperm donor IVF -- with surrogate using her egg, sperm from baby's father IVF -- with surrogate using egg and sperm donors* Cytoplasmic transfer Nuclear transfer and cloning If you now add additional options such as TESA ( testicular sperm aspiration) and PESA ( percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration);assisted hatching and embryo fragment removal, the list becomes even longer ! Case studies and activities will bring a sense of reality to the ethical issues involved and aid students in formulating their own ethical position. Relevant ethical issues include: • Implications of infertility on women, men, families, orphans • Possible complications and their role in ethical decision-making; • Medical - miscarriages, increased risk of ovarian cancer • Clinical - error in embryo placement (wrong parent/s) • Societal - unregulated centers, embryo theft, sale of embryos • Children born of deceased parents • Childbearing in old age • Surrogacy (altruism or profit)