The Psyche of the Test Tube Baby & The Bioethics of Fatherhood

By Jeffery M Leving

A generation ago the first “test tube baby” was born in Great Britain via in vitro
fertilization (IVF) in 1978. Since then, more than three million children have been
born with the help of reproductive technology. In fact, America's first test tube baby
has had a baby of her own: Elizabeth Comeau, 29, delivered her first son, Trevor
James Comeau on August 06, 2010. The advent of IVF provides a readily available
option for single people and same-sex couples wishing to have children and with test
tube baby technology the presence of a father can be deleted from the family
equation. As the number of children growing up without a father continues to
accelerate, attention must be focused on what the affects of father absence are on
the children’s emotional development.
The negative effects of father absence have been well documented and the
statistics are grim:

1
* 72% of all teenaged murderers grew up without fathers.
1
* 60% of rapists were raised in fatherless homes.
* 70% of the kids now incarcerated in juvenile corrections facilities grew up in a
1
single-parent environment.
* Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school as their classmates who
live with two parents. 1
2
* 75% of teen suicides occur in single-parent families.
2
* 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
2
* 90% of all homeless runaway children are from fatherless homes.
* 85% of all children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.
2
* 80% of rapists motivated by displaced anger come from fatherless homes.
2
* 71% of all high school dropouts are from fatherless homes.

The decline of fatherhood is a major force behind many of the most disturbing
problems that plague America: crime and juvenile delinquency; premature sexuality
and out-of-wedlock births to teenagers; deteriorating educational achievement;
depression, substance abuse, and alienation among adolescents; and the growing
number of women and children in poverty. 3
 Fathers are the first and most important men in the lives of girls. They provide
role models, familiarizing their daughters with male-female relationships. Engaged
and responsive fathers play with their daughters and guide them into challenging
activities. They protect them, providing them with a sense of physical and emotional
security. Girls with adequate fathering are more capable, as they grow older, to
develop constructive male-female relationships based on trust and intimacy. 3
Fatherlessness is a social problem exacerbated by the breakdown of the
traditional family, the glamorization of single motherhood and the denigration of
fatherhood.
In today’s brave new world, in vitro fertilization is considered a commonplace
procedure utilized by infertile couples and single women all over the world. As
society evolves into this new era, we must consider the value of the traditional family
structure, the rise in father absence, and the detrimental effects it has on children’s
cognitive and emotional development. The daunting psychological challenges
confronting children that do not have both parents must be recognized as an
alarming societal dilemma. Embracing IVF technology without fully understanding
the consequences on these children’s futures is irresponsible and short sighted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Fatherhood Educational Institute: www.fatherhood-edu.org

2
Getting Men Involved: The Newsletter of the Bay Area Male Involvement Network,
(Spring 1997)

3
D. Popenoe. “Life without father.” In: C. Daniels, ed. Lost fathers: The Politics of
Fatherlessness in America . (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998).