An ethical issue for reproductive technologies

The establishment of "new birth technologies" (such as ovulation induction, in vitro fertilization and gamete intrafallopian transfer) has raised many ethical issues. One such issue is "selective fetal reduction", a process advocated in the management of excessive multiple pregnancy. The ethics of "selective fetal reduction" involve consideration of not only the efficacy of the process and the destruction of fetuses per se, but more specifically consideration of the moral dilemma of destroying some fetuses for the probable benefit of the remainder. The latter I consider here. Following from this ethical analysis it is suggested that the law regarding abortion should permit selective reduction in high multiple pregnancies, that is pregnancies of 4 or above. I contend that the law should prohibit deliberate exposure (in an infertility programme) to significant risk of high multiple pregnancy, when there is full intention to reduce any subsequent pregnancy of high multiple size.