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The use and disposal of stored embryos
Author(s) -
Dickens Bernard M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2016.04.001
Subject(s) - veto , embryology , law , political science , embryo , human reproduction , embryo donation , in vitro fertilisation , general partnership , biology , genetics , politics , donation
Abstract Claims that human embryos are “human beings” or “persons” cannot be agreed, because philosophies and approaches differ, awarding them statuses from full human to property. In 1984, the UK (Warnock) Committee of Inquiry into Human Fertilisation and Embryology made recommendations that still offer legal and ethical guidance. It is widely agreed, for instance, that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should not be transferred for reproductive purposes without relevant consent, whether for gamete donors' or others' family‐building. A consequence of courts enforcing parties' IVF agreements on stored embryo use or balancing parties' competing interests is that one party—usually the male—can veto the other's use of the embryo for reproduction on termination of a partnership. The extent to which surplus IVF embryos can be donated for research ranges from prohibition to infertility treatment and more, but wider needs for embryology research are appearing that, despite prevailing bans, may require embryos for study created to genetic specifications.