Moral implications of attitudes toward reproduction research

Includes bibliographical references (pages 63-65)This study was undertaken to ascertain attitudes toward alternative methods of human conception. A telephone questionnaire was completed by one hundred (100) residents of the San Fernando Valley, California. There were sixty-three (63) women and thirty-seven (37) men from thirteen (13) to eighty-two (82) years old, whose telephone numbers were chosen randomly. Prefixes were drawn for each area from the Los Angeles Northwestern Telephone Directory, and a random numbers table was used for the last four digits of each telephone number. Population distribution determined the number of calls made to each area. Demographic data included sex, age, and marital status. Respondents were asked the number and genetic relationship of their children, including their desire for future children. Religious preference and frequency of attendance at religious services was solicited. Occupations and income levels were gathered. All one hundred respondents reported their sexual preference to be heterosexual. Additional questions pertained to respondents??? attitudes about novel reproductive techniques. Included among them were those specifically concerning artificial insemination donor and in vitro fertilization, as well as general questions about the area of reproductive technology and its consequences. Issues emanating from the scientific exploration of reproductive techniques included informed consent, regulation or lackof it, legal status of those involved and choice of recipients. Men were significantly more accepting than women of the use of AID by female homosexuals, x to the second power (2) = 9.9 P<0.05, but women accepted the use of AID by others more than men, X to the second power (2) = 6.1 P<0.05. Singles and those without children were significantly more accepting of experimentation on human ova, singles ??? X to the second power (2) = 6.912 P<0.05; without children ??? X to the second power (2) = 6.829 P<0.05. Religious groups differed significantly from each other regarding advising children of the nature of their conception, X to the second power (6) = 17.227 P<0.05. Singles were more accepting of single women using AID and IVF, X to the second power (2) = 12.636 P