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Artificial Insemination
The first donated artificial insemination treatment was done by the physician, William Pancoast. It was a success, but the physician never told the woman what was done, and this information was shared with her husband years later. This was an important step in the research of artificial insemination, as it was a success in treating the couple’s infertility. -
Criticization of Pancoast
25 years after William Pancoast’s actions involving artificial insemination there is an article in the Medical World Journal about the activity. The physician was strongly criticized. This connects to the issue because artificial insemination is a topic of morality. -
Progesterone
Scientist discover a key hormone in pregnancy. A year later the sex hormone estrogen is also identified. It is important for pregnancy and infertility to be understood before the problem can be diagnosed and a solution can be found. -
IVF Experiments with Rabbits
Harvard scientist Gregory Pincus conducts IVF experiments with rabbits, but he is denounced for his work and is refused tenure from Harvard. The study of IVF had many obstacles to overcome because of the issue of morality. -
"A Step Back for Science"
An Illinois court rules that babies conceived through artificial insemination from a donor are legally illegitimate. However, most other states didn’t agree with the conclusion. This was another step back because not everyone thought of artificial insemination through donors as a considerable solution to infertility. -
The Treatment of Adoption
Infertility was made to be the key of understanding adoption’s social significance and cultural context because of the first theoretical treatment of adoption. Raising a child, even if it’s not related by blood, is what infertile couples wanted and the social institution of adoption treats them. -
Harris Poll
A poll done in 1969 shows that a majority of Americans found techniques like IVF to be “against God’s will.” This is important to the social role of infertility because the solutions to it seemed to be acts against God. -
Peak of Adoptions
There was a statistical peak of adoptions in 1970, there were about 175,000 adoptions that year and almost 80% were done by agencies. Infertility and adoption are linked together for obvious reasons, and they have been strongly since the 1950’s, when infertile couples were preferred by agencies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttc4tB09qws -
A Moratorium of Research
The American Medical Association asks for a suspension of IVF research done on humans, while the American Fertility Society urges further work in the field. This shows how there was a struggle in the discussion of whether or not this research should be continued. -
"The First Test Tube Baby"
The birth of Louise Joy Brown, who is the first “test tube baby” sets off a buzz in the media. IVF may have begun to be seen in a positive light because of her successful birth.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1a7q9w_a-day-in-history-in-vitro-fertilization_fun -
Americans Start Supporting IVF
Another Harris poll shows that 60% of Americans support IVF and half of them would try it under the right circumstances. Though it is not unanimous, IVF starts to gain support and popularity. -
Federal Funding
The Ethics Advisory Board approves federal funding of IVF research after 11 public meetings. IVF starts to gain popularity and approval around this point. -
Vatican Radio and Other News
The Vatican condemns IVF on the radio as immoral while its support grows. Infertile couples now grasp the opportunity to become parents. -
Child Citizens Act of 2000
This act allowed foreign-born adoptees to become American citizens when they enter the US. This made international adoptions easier. Back in the 1950’s mostly healthy white babies were adopted by couples in America. -
"I desperately wanted children. Here's how I learned to live without them."
Though Artificial Insemination, IVF, and adoption have come a long way, they can still fail to fix the problem of infertility, and some people have to deal with that. This article written by Mr. Moench-Kelly explains how she dealt with the failure of IVF and the inability to adopt because of the expenses being to high. The issue of infertility goes back in history and is still a relevant topic today.
http://on.aol.com/video/infertility-treatment-costs-229039679
