The right to be born.

Abstract

The right to be born embodies several different rights: the right to be conceived, the right to be implanted in the uterus, and the right to live (or not be aborted). The right to be conceived, or the right of parents to reproduce, may depend upon circumstances. Do couples have the right to have children to whom they cannot offer an adequate upbringing? Do couples have the right to have as many children as they wish if in this way they will reduce the amount of food available to other families? Is the right to have children coupled with a responsibility not to have more children than a community, a country or the world can support? Fertilisation occurs in the fallopian tube, but only about 30% of fertilised ova normally become successfully implanted in the uterus. Fertilisation can also be achieved in a test tube and the resultant embryo then implanted in the mother's uterus to grow into a "test tube baby". Is it ethical to allow the use of donor sperm or ova, a surrogate mother, experimentation on embryos, and what should be done with "spare" embryos? The British Unborn Child (Protection) Bill 1986 prohibits anyone from possessing a fertilised embryo unless it is for the purpose of enabling a specific women to have a child. The right to live and not be aborted may involve a conflict of interests between a mother and her unborn child. A mother may claim absolute rights over her own body, including the right to have an abortion if she desires.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)