Synopsis
Paul Lauritzen has produced a closely reasoned, astute book which covers the relevant scholarly material with sympathy and fairness. Moreover, he has used his own experiences with infertility to give life and interest to the moral dilemmas he addresses. This is an original, engaging study which is an admirable model of moral reflection.O NSidney Callahan, Ph.D., psychologist and author of "In Good Conscience: Reason and Emotion in Moral Decision Making". The new reproductive technologies offer the promise of parenthood to many for whom it has previously been denied. But is parenthood a good to be pursued at any cost? Drawing on his own experience with infertility treatment, Paul Lauritzen offers a personal and scholarly assessment of the ethical dilemmas posed by forms of assisted reproduction, including artificial insemination with husband and donor sperm, in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, and adoption. According to Lauritzen, the existence of reproductive technology requires us to rethink what it means to be a parent. Lauritzen begins by identifying the basic objections that have been raised to reproductive technology by the Catholic Church and others and shows why many of these criticisms are misplaced. In Part Two, he argues that critics of reproductive technology have too frequently assumed that genetic connection is the sole basis of parental obligation and suggests instead that there are other, more essential criteria for defining parenthood that provide a better standard for assessing a particular intervention. Finally, Lauritzen considers the alternative form of assisted reproduction recommended by opponents of reproductive technology, namely, adoption. By examining current adoption practice, he shows that adoption poses many of the same problems as reproductive technology. "Pursuing Parenthood" is a major statement on an important and emotionally charged issue that is certain to spark heated debate.
Reviews
Lauritzen ( Religious Belief and Emotional Transformation ), a professor of religious studies at John Carroll University, believes that the availability of advanced reproductive technology should lead people to rethink what it means to be a parent--is it a biological or social obligation, or both? Although personal experience is partially involved--Lauritzen and his wife encountered difficulty in conceiving a child, and considered assisted-reproduction techniques--this is not a drawn-out account of their decisions or a medical description of the virtues and pitfalls of the procedures at hand (e.g., artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy). Instead, the book takes a critical look at attendant ethical issues: whether children should be told that they were conceived by artificial insemination, and how parents should relate to each other when one is a biological parent and the other is not. For critics of assisted reproduction--the Roman Catholic Church, for example--Lauritzen also discusses ethical problems associated with adoption. Good as it is, this is a work of scholarly consideration, and few couples considering alternative reproductive options would put it at the top of their reading lists. Most would probably concern themselves with other issues: the barrage of medical tests and procedures, as well as the anxiety that lies before them.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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