But the balance between these two sides of reproductive health has been skewed by widespread contraceptive failure and a lack of access to birth control. Public and private funding for family planning and contraceptive research remains insufficient. For example, the number of pharmaceutical companies conducting research in contraceptives has dwindled from nine in 1970 to only one today. At the same time, hundreds of doctors, medical researchers and hospitals have become involved in developing reproductive technologies. In a world of limited resources, a conflict arises between the age- old tradition to bear children and a strong need to focus on providing contraceptives and stabilizing population.
People have the right to reproduce if they want to.
It is the responsibility of the scientific field to gain knowledge and make it available. Many people take advantage of medically assisted conception, despite the expense and time involved. Treatment for the vast majority of infertility cases, as well as artificial insemination, are paid for by the patients themselves. Ten states provide basic infertility treatments through Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for poor women, and six mandate private insurance companies to provide infertility coverage. If more states adopt such policies, the public burden for promoting reproduction could increase.