Well, I think we lived up to our reputation as “lively-minded women” yesterday evening!
We had watched the film “Joy (2024)” together two weeks earlier, in a full home cinema experience (thanks to the daughter of one of our members) and were engrossed, not even pausing for refreshments (also because we didn’t how to switch it off!).
“Joy” tells the story of the early days of the development of IVF and its team of three pioneers.
We regarded the film as a good story. It raises many issues along the way and it recognises the part played by a woman who was unsung until many years later.
One member introduced the film and led questions that steered our discussion really well.
Here are some of the issues we discussed:-
- The idea that ‘man’ (i.e. the medical profession/scientists – in this case) should not play God in the role of creating life?
- The idea that funding should not be directed towards medical issues that only affect a small number of women?
- The idea that religious ideology (in this case Christianity) should determine what happens in the field of medicine?
- The press influenced people’s reactions to IVF treatment negatively?
- The idea that it is necessary for people (in this case women) to be ‘guinea-pigs’ in medical research that they might not directly benefit from themselves but in so doing they are advancing knowledge and possibly helping people in the future.
- The idea that experimentation on animals is a necessary precursor to research on human patients.
- The fact that women have historically been overlooked in the fields of medicine and science generally and not credited for the roles they have played in advancing these.
As an aside – American reviews amused us – they don’t seem to remember Britain in the 70s, as we all do!