Mary Warnock and the world of morals, ethics, and infertility

The dynamic life of one of Britain's most celebrated philosophers comes to a head in this biography titled "Mary Warnock: Ethics, Education, and Public Policy in Post-War Britain," written by Philip Graham. Mary Warnock emerged as a trailblazer in the second half of the 20th century with her numerous published works in philosophy, education, and medical ethics. The over 25 years she was active, her impact on policy making would continue to stand the test of time even after she passed in 2019. In this report, her emergence as a philosopher and the significant ethical contributions she pioneered in the world of infertility are examined. Mary Warnock grew up in an upper-middle class family in the city of Winchester, where she was the youngest of seven children. She did not grow up knowing her father, who died 7 months before her birth in 1924. Mary's early childhood was spent mostly growing up around her older sister Stephana; whom she adored, and being raised by her nanny Emily Coleman, also referred to as "Nan"1. Nan, would go on to spark Mary's own imagination and provide a model of intense curiosity about the world around her1. Although she had a biological mother named Ethel, Mary describes her adolescent years feeling overlooked and rejected by her mother. She states in her diary, "I felt, if anything, a bit indignant that she should overlook the advantages of having me as a daughter"1. Mary's early childhood relationships were significant in that instead of being a source of overwhelming trauma, her circumstances motivated her to learn, to establish self-confidence, and to always remain true to herself no matter if others wished her to be different. The development of this personality trait would go on to be one of her greatest strengths. Mary attended St. Swithuns' boarding school for girls from the age of 12. A model Swithuns' girl was described as "modest, well behaved, unassuming and certainly must not be too clever"1. Mary in no way fit into the confines of this description and resisted the academic strictures placed upon her. In the book, we see a young Mary take charge of her education by smuggling into her room books based on anthologies, reading poems, and studying Latin and Greek at night. She then transferred to Prior's Field School at the age of 16, where her intelligence was valued and celebrated instead of being seen as a disturbance1. Mary's academic prowess advanced tremendously while attending Prior's Field, and it was a time she acknowledged as critical in the transition of her life as an academic scholar. Mary would go on to win a scholarship to attend Lady Margaret Hall College in Oxford, where she established herself as an outstanding undergraduate1. While completing her undergraduate years, Mary met Geoffrey Warnock who was also a philosopher studying at Oxford. Geoffrey and Mary formed a deep connection and married in 1949. After graduating from Lady Margaret Hall College, Mary continued at Oxford's St. Hugh's College as a teacher in moral philosophy and 3 years later was appointed as a fellow. During her time at St. Hugh's, Mary gave birth to 5 children; 2 sons and 3 daughters. In the book, Warnock described motherhood as a gratifying experience and was extremely supportive of her children. Throughout the growing demands of her academic career, Mary experienced blissful happiness to have given birth to her 5 babies1. By the 1980s, Mary had a strong background as an educationalist. She had the role as chair of the Warnock Committee, which published the first comprehensive report review of special educational needs in England. This would later become the basis for the legislative passing of the Education Act of 1981. The Education Act of 1981 defined circumstances in which children should be regarded as having special needs1, and was accepted for integration into mainstream education. Due to Mary's public influence and demand, a year after the passing of the Education Act of 1981, she was called on by the Department of Health and Social Services to look at issues surrounding new fertility treatments and the moral and legal conflicts that existed around these topics. One of Mary Warnock's most notable contributions is the inception of the Committee on Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority. The basis of this committee, chaired by Mary Warnock, was to "consider recent and potential developments in medicine and science related to human fertilization and embryology, to consider what policies and safeguards should be applied, including consideration of social, ethical and legal implications of these developments, and make recommendations"1. As a moral philosopher, Mary Warnock governed a distinct approach to controversial topics in in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, and embryo research. She ultimately favored utilitarianism views (weighing benefits and harms) in the context of in vitro fertilization and embryo research. She also provided answers to the moral question of whether it was wrong to perform research on embryos because of the very fact they are "human." Mary helped the majority of the committee come to a conclusion that regulated research on <14-day-old embryos was indeed morally justifiable, but advanced staged embryos after 14 days were morally wrong and subject to criminalization. The HFE Act composed recommendations and guiding principles that were passed into legislation in 1990, and it continues to have a significant impact on discussions about human embryo policies beyond the UK, to an international scale. During the late 1900s and early 2000s, Mary Warnock published her last piece of literature on infertility with her book "Making Babies." In her book, Mary attempts to answer the question of whether people have the right to have children. A motivating factor for the book's inception was Mary's sharing of stories of infertile women whom she felt were treated badly by medical doctors. She concludes there is no right to have children, but that medical professionals should feel a duty of compassion to their patients, making it obligatory for them to seek as far as they deem justifiable to help assist their patients1. Mary Warnock was a woman of admirable intellect whose background in ethics and philosophy helped her navigate complex issues in the subject of assisted reproduction and infertility. Her contributions in governing ethical-based policies to regulate human fertilization and embryo research were blueprints that were widely remodeled across the world and enabled the UK to become a leading nation in the development of assisted reproduction technologies. Philip Graham's book is a well-documented biography of Mary's passionate dedication to public life, which is exemplified in her last public words before her death, stating, "Loving one another is the most important value"1. Conflict of interest disclosure The authors declare no conflicts of interest.