Reproduction and propagation of the human species are increasingly leaning toward advanced methods of assisted reproductive technologies, otherwise known as ART. Under this increasing scenario, a mere skin biopsy from an individual can lead to the normal birth of his clone. With ART as the backbone of human reproduction, sexual copulation for some could graduate into just another form of entertainment.
Assisted reproductive technologies encompass a gamut of procedures that involve the surgical removal of eggs from a woman's ovary, the subsequent artificial insemination of the egg with sperm in a laboratory setting, and the implantation of the embryo back into the woman's body or into another woman who agrees to be a gestational carrier. In vitro fertilization as well as freezing and preservation of eggs, sperm, and embryos, are the more widely known aspects of ART. Because the process can involve genetic testing before the implantation of the embryo, it is a widely held view in the scientific circles that we will eventually start to remove abnormal genes in embryos and/or introduce new ones to improve the quality of life using gene-editing technologies.
The continuing advances in human reproductive technologies that stare us keenly in the face have caused us to recalibrate our view on sex and reproduction. Could these eventually alter our beliefs on the meaning of life and what it means to be fully human?
by Dr. Barry Verkauf, author of the book, Sex, Science, Society, and Reproduction: The Pill that changed America
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