Read the text. With advances in medical technology has come a convergence of new medical and legal issues

When Does Life Begin?

(background reading)

With advances in medical technology has come a convergence of new medical and legal issues. It seems that laws cannot he written fast enough to keep up with the new problems posed by technology. The propositions for creating new laws are numerous, hut decisions are only just beginning to be made.

When a couple in Tennessee, Mary Sue Davis and Junior Davis, decided to get a divorce, a new ethical question was introduced into the courts of law: When does a human life begin? Mary Sue Davis, who is infertile, had had a series of complications with pregnancy and decided to get help from an infertility clinic. As the couple wanted very much to have children, they had decided to attempt in vitro fertilization, a process by which a husband's sperm and his wife's egg are fertilized in a petri dish, outside the woman's body. The embryo, the fertilized egg, is then implanted into the woman's body. Because the Davises had experienced six previous unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilization, their doctors recommended freezing some of Mrs. Davis's successfully fertilized eggs. With this procedure, the eggs could later be thawed to be implanted in Mrs. Davis's uterine cavity during any of her ovulation cycles.

But, on February 23, 1989, Mr. Davis tiled for a divorce, marking the first legal battle over frozen embryos produced through in vitro fertilization. Just as children are fought over in legal custody cases, I he court had to decide who had the right to the fertilized eggs. Mrs. Davis had tried to become pregnant for years and did not want the eggs disposed of. She had spent too much time and energy on trying to get pregnant and was not willing to abandon her last chance of having children. Mr. Davis, on the other hand, was not interested in seeing the eggs "hatch," as he did not want to see his wife bear his children after their divorce.

The Davises' case has spawned a series of new cases involving the rights to embryos, as well as a national debate over how we view life. Some argue that the frozen embryos, consisting of only undifferentiated cells, cannot be viewed as human beings as they have not yet formed into a unique individual. Others argue that life starts at conception, so that the moment the egg is fertilized in a petri dish, what is produced must be viewed as a human being. As the couple began to argue over the fertilized eggs, the judge in the divorce trial was being asked to do medical, legal, and ethical, somersaults in deciding whether the Davises' embryos were just frozen lumps, marital property waiting to be divided up, or persons with some rights to legal protection. His decision would have even further implications for abortion and right-to-life advocates.

After listening to both I ho husband and wife contending for the right to their embryos, the Tennessee Circuit Court judge ruled that the embryos were people, not property, and they were turned over to their mother. Mr. Davis later announced that he would appeal the court's decision.

2) Translate into English using the vocabulary of the article above: схождение в одной точке, проблема, дело, держаться наравне с к-л,, предложение, бесплодный, осложнения, экстракорпоральное оплодотворение, чашка Петри, размораживать, полость матки, обращаться с заявлением (напр. в суд), опека, право на что-либо, избавляться от чего-либо, отказываться, прекращать, вылупляться из яйца, рождать, производить на свет, порождать, вызывать, недифференцированные клетки, зачатие, делать сальто, кусок/ ком, последствия, аборт, противостоять, передавать кому-либо.

3) Match the synonyms: implications, issues, to dispose of, to keep up with, to bear, complications, to contend, to turn over to, problems, to give birth to, results, to pass to, to compete, to keep pace with, difficulties, to get rid of.

4) Fill in the gaps with the words and expressions from the text:

A right to, to turn over to, implications, to spawn, issues, infertile, convergence, to abandon, abortion, a petri dish.

1) In 1970, Mr. Shockley and a group of his associates bought the hotel and _____________its management ________________ me.

2) For the first time, scientists have created functioning human intestinal tissue in ____________________ from stem cells.

3) The situation was getting worse, and the captain gave the order to ___________________ship.

4) The town was built on the borderline between two countries and has always represented __________________ of both cultures and languages.

5) That notorious court case _____________________ a lot of arguments among the politicians and lawyers.

6) He wasn’t sure what to do: his decision might have rather unpredictable ________________ for all his family.

7) IVF still remains the last hope for many _____________ couples around the world, but the treatment is rather costly and complicated.

8) The conference considered rather sensitive ________________ for the modern society such as _______________ and same-sex marriage.

9) Everyone has the ____________________ freedom of opinion and expression in a democratic country.

5) Discuss the following questions:

1) What kind of ethical question was introduced in to the courts of law when the Davises decided to get a divorce?

2) What is IVF?

3) Do you think the frozen embryos should be viewed as human beings? Why? Why not?

4) To your mind, should abortions be banned? Why? Why not?

5) If your were the judge in the Tennessee case, how would you have ruled?

6) What, in your opinion, are the implications of the Tennessee judge’s ruling? How could this ruling affect other area of life?

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