Should There Be a Female Age Limit on Public Funding for Assisted Reproductive Technology?: Differing Conceptions of Justice in Resource Allocation

Journal of Bioethical Inquiry

Volumn 10, Issue 1, 2013, Pages 79-91

  Carter, Drew ^a   Watt, Amber M ^a   Braunack Mayer, Annette ^a   Elshaug, Adam G ^a,b   Moss, John R ^a   Hiller, Janet E ^a,c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE   (Australia)

^b HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL   (United States)

^c AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

Author keywords

Capacity to benefit; Disinvestment; Distributive justice; Ethical analysis; Health care rationing; Health policy; Need; Reproductive techniques, assisted

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGE; ARTICLE; AUSTRALIA; COMPARATIVE STUDY; COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS; ECONOMICS; ETHICS; FEMALE; HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION; HEALTH CARE POLICY; HUMAN; INFERTILITY THERAPY; MIDDLE AGED; NEW ZEALAND; PUBLIC HEALTH; SOCIAL JUSTICE; SWEDEN;

ADULT; AGE FACTORS; AUSTRALIA; COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS; FEMALE; HEALTH CARE RATIONING; HEALTH POLICY; HUMANS; MIDDLE AGED; NATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAMS; NEW ZEALAND; REPRODUCTIVE TECHNIQUES, ASSISTED; SOCIAL JUSTICE; SWEDEN;

EID: 84874945222     PISSN: 11767529     EISSN: 18724353     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11673-012-9415-6     Document Type: Article

References (47)

1. Assisted Reproductive Technologies Review Committee. 2006. Report of the independent review of assisted reproductive technologies. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2008. Deaths, Australia (cat. no. 3302. 0).
3. Beauchamp, T. L., and J. F. Childress. 2009. Principles of biomedical ethics, 6th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
4. Bewley, S., L. Foo, and P. Braude. 2011. Adverse outcomes from IVF. British Medical Journal 342: d436. doi: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1136/bmj. d436.
5. Birenbaum-Carmeli, D., and M. Dirnfeld. 2008. In vitro fertilisation policy in Israel and women's perspectives: The more the better? Reproductive Health Matters 16(31): 182-191.
6. Black, J. J. 2010. Egg donation: Issues and concerns. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing 35(3): 132-137. quiz 137-139.
7. Blyth, E. 2002. Subsidized IVF: The development of "egg sharing" in the United Kingdom. Human Reproduction 17(12): 3254-3259.
8. Bower, C., and M. Hansen. 2005. Assisted reproductive technologies and birth outcomes: Overview of recent systematic reviews. Reproduction, Fertility, and Development 17(3): 329-333.
9. Burr, J., and P. Reynolds. 2008. Thinking ethically about genetic inheritance: Liberal rights, communitarianism and the right to privacy for parents of donor insemination children. Journal of Medical Ethics 34(4): 281-284.
10. Carter, D., and A. Braunack-Mayer. 2011. The appeal to nature implicit in certain restrictions on public funding for assisted reproductive technology. Bioethics 25(8): 463-471.
11. Chambers, G. M., M. T. Ho, and E. A. Sullivan. 2006. Assisted reproductive technology treatment costs of a live birth: An age-stratified cost-outcome study of treatment in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia 184(4): 155-158.
12. Chambers, G. M., E. A. Sullivan, O. Ishihara, M. G. Chapman, and G. D. Adamson. 2009. The economic impact of assisted reproductive technology: A review of selected developed countries. Fertility and Sterility 91(6): 2281-2294.
13. Cleemput, I., M. Neyt, N. Thiry, C. De Laet, and M. Leys. 2011. Using threshold values for cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained in healthcare decisions. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 27(1): 71-76.
14. Cookson, R., and P. Dolan. 2000. Principles of justice in health care rationing. Journal of Medical Ethics 26(5): 323-329.
15. Culyer, A. J. 2001. Equity: Some theory and its policy implications. Journal of Medical Ethics 27(4): 275-283.
16. Culyer, A. J. 2007. Need: An instrumental view. In Principles of health care ethics, ed. R. Ashcroft, A. Dawson, H. Draper, and J. McMillan, 231-238. Chichester: Wiley.
17. Daniels, N. 1985. Just health care. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
18. Devlin, N., and D. Parkin. 2003. Funding fertility: Issues in the allocation and distribution of resources to assisted reproduction technologies. Human Fertility (Cambridge) 6(suppl 1): S2-S6.
19. Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. 2009. Interests, obligations, and rights of the donor in gamete donation. Fertility and Sterility 91(1): 22-27.
20. Farquhar, C. M., Y. A. Wang, and E. A. Sullivan. 2010. A comparative analysis of assisted reproductive technology cycles in Australia and New Zealand 2004-2007. Human Reproduction 25(9): 2281-2289.
21. Frame, T. 2008. Children on demand: The ethics of defying nature. Sydney: New South.
22. Gillett, W., and J. Peek. 1997. Access to infertility services: Development of priority criteria: A consultation document. Wellington: A report to the New Zealand Ministry of Health, National Health Committee.
23. Gillett, W., and J. Peek. 2000. Version 1 gynaecology referral guidelines and prioritisation criteria. New Zealand Ministry of Health.
24. Gillett, W. R., J. C. Peek, and G. P. Herbison. 2012. Development of clinical priority access criteria for assisted reproduction and its evaluation on 1386 infertile couples in New Zealand. Human Reproduction 27(1): 131-141.
25. Griffiths, A., S. M. Dyer, S. J. Lord, C. Pardy, I. S. Fraser, and S. Eckermann. 2010. A cost-effectiveness analysis of in-vitro fertilization by maternal age and number of treatment attempts. Human Reproduction 25(4): 924-931.
26. Hansen, M., C. Bower, E. Milne, N. de Klerk, and J. J. Kurinczuk. 2005. Assisted reproductive technologies and the risk of birth defects-a systematic review. Human Reproduction 20(2): 328-338.
27. Heng, B. C. 2008. Should fertility doctors and clinical embryologists be involved in the recruitment, counselling and reimbursement of egg donors? Journal of Medical Ethics 34(5): 414.
28. Hope, T., L. P. Osterdal, and A. Hasman. 2010. An inquiry into the principles of needs-based allocation of health care. Bioethics 24(9): 470-480.
29. Kalbian, A. 2011. Considering the risks to economically disadvantaged egg donors. Americal Journal of Bioethics 11(9): 44-45.
30. Lancaster, P., E. Shafir, and J. Huang. 1995. Assisted conception Australia and New Zealand 1992 and 1993. Sydney: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Perinatal Statistics Unit.
31. Lindström, H., and S. Waldau. 2008. Ethically acceptable prioritisation of childless couples and treatment rationing: "Accountability for reasonableness". European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology 139(2): 176-186.
32. MBS Online. No date. http://www. health. gov. au/internet/mbsonline/publishing. nsf/Content/Medicare-Benefits-Schedule-MBS-1. Accessed January 25, 2012.
33. Medicare Item Reports. No date. https://www. medicareaustralia. gov. au/statistics/mbs_item. shtml. Accessed January 25, 2012.
34. Middelburg, K. J., M. J. Heineman, A. F. Bos, and M. Hadders-Algra. 2008. Neuromotor, cognitive, language and behavioural outcome in children born following IVF or ICSI-a systematic review. Human Reproduction Update 14(3): 219-231.
35. Mladovsky, P., and C. Sorenson. 2010. Public financing of IVF: A review of policy rationales. Health Care Analysis 18(2): 113-128.
36. Mooney, G., and S. Houston. 2004. An alternative approach to resource allocation: Weighted capacity to benefit plus MESH infrastructure. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy 3(1): 29-33.
37. National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health. 2004. Fertility: Assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems. London: National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
38. Rawlins, M. D., and A. J. Culyer. 2004. National Institute for Clinical Excellence and its value judgments. British Mecical Journal 329(7459): 224-227.
39. Reefhuis, J., M. A. Honein, L. A. Schieve, A. Correa, C. A. Hobbs, and S. A. Rasmussen. 2009. Assisted reproductive technology and major structural birth defects in the United States. Human Reproduction 24(2): 360-366.
40. Repromed. No date. http://www. repromed. com. au/site/home. aspx. Accessed January 25, 2012.
41. Ryan, M. 1996. Using willingness to pay to assess the benefits of assisted reproductive techniques. Health Economics 5(6): 543-558.
42. Slade, P., C. O'Neill, A. J. Simpson, and H. Lashen. 2007. The relationship between perceived stigma, disclosure patterns, support and distress in new attendees at an infertility clinic. Human Reproduction 22(8): 2309-2317.
43. Steele, E. J., L. C. Giles, M. J. Davies, and V. M. Moore. 2011. The life journeys of young women project: Objectives, design, and recruitment results. American Journal of Epidemiology 174(1): 72-80.
44. Verhaak, C. M., J. M. Smeenk, A. W. Evers, J. A. Kremer, F. W. Kraaimaat, and D. D. Braat. 2007. Women's emotional adjustment to IVF: A systematic review of 25 years of research. Human Reproduction Update 13(1): 27-36.
45. Wang, Y., G. Chambers, M. Dieng, and E. Sullivan. 2009. Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand 2007. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
46. Wang, Y. A., G. M. Chambers, and E. A. Sullivan. 2010. Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand 2008. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
47. Watt, A. M., A. G. Elshaug, C. D. Willis, and J. E. Hiller. 2011. Assisted reproductive technologies: A systematic review of safety and effectiveness to inform disinvestment policy. Health Policy 102(2-3): 200-213.