The Ethical Analysis of the Connection between Hope and Fertility Preservation

<p>Fertility preservation has many different indications and covers a wide variety of demographics. One major motivation for the use of fertility preservation is hope. When discussing fertility preservation, healthcare professionals present several options, but choosing which type of fertility preservation to pursue is a difficult decision. This dissertation will argue not only that hope is one of the basic drivers for making a decision regarding fertility preservation, but also the current methods for fertility preservation create a reliance on hope. Hope can determine if a patient chooses the safest option or seeks out more radical experimentation or whether to delay cancer treatment in order to seek fertility preservation. The role of hope in medicine has been researched for a long time. Although there have been studies aiming to understand the relation between hope, survival, and recovery, the role of hope in fertility preservation is not well explored. This dissertation will argue that fertility preservation can benefit from better appreciating the role of hope. Fertility preservation should take the dependence on hope seriously, but still be concerned that while promoting hope it does not create a false expectation. The aim of the dissertation is to ethically examine the connection between fertility preservation and hope.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Worldwide Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Health Care Ethics

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Jeunette, Leah

Contributors dc:contributor

• Henk ten Have
• Gerard Magill
• Joris Gielen

• bioethics
• fertility preservation
• healthcare ethics
• hope

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/44

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-1043