Waubonsee Community College

Mother's day, new reproductive technology, by Jane Walmsley Productions

eng

videorecording

For College; Adult audiences

Mother's day

electronic resource

747798866

by Jane Walmsley Productions

52

new reproductive technology

This provocative film on the latest medical technology in human reproduction raises complex bioethical issues. Building on the technology of in vitro fertilization pioneered by Dr. Patrick Steptoe, doctors can now implant eggs taken from the ovaries of a donor. The baby will effectively have two mothers, a genetic mother who donated the egg, and a carrying, or birth mother. Which woman, according to the law will have the greater claim on the infant? Should such children be told about their origins?Mother s Day also shows that with implantation the childbearing years can be extended. We meet one happy mother who gave birth at fifty. While one doctor feels that women could bear children until the age of sixty-five, he questions whether this is really desirable for society. Is it the court or the medical profession who should make decisions like these?

general