ABSTRACT
Nonfeminist bioethicists have often debated whether infertility is a disease or simply a regrettable human limitation that causes many couples to experience guilt, disappointment, depression, low self-esteem, and often marital conflict. This chapter considers two major reproduction-aiding technologies: artificial insemination, or AI and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). There are two types of artificial insemination: artificial insemination by husband (AIH), in which the sperm donor is the woman's husband or male partner; and artificial insemination by donor (AID), in which the sperm donor is a man other than the woman's husband or male partner. Some infertility clinics have already reported considerable success with a technique called intracytoplasmic injection (ICI). In general, feminists agree that artificial insemination and, for that matter, most other reproduction-aiding technologies increase women's procreative options. Some feminists believe it is vital for women that the right to reproduce be affirmed in its strong as well as its weak sense.
