Payesh (Oct 2007)
Assessment of practical implications of principles of medical ethics in gamete and embryo donation
Abstract
Objective(s): Nowadays, the four principles of medical ethics having the advantage of cultural impartiality are widely used for guidance of decision making regarding ethical issues in medicine. This article is aimed to review the practical implications of each one of these principles in gamete and embryo donation, and gives a general and practical overview regarding of those ethical issues.The following topics are discussed regarding each principle:Respect for Autonomy: Informed consent of donor and recipient (s) of the gamete or embryo; inhibition of coercion; issues regarding sex (or other characteristics) selection; using dead bodies or aborted fetuses as donor; cases of conflict between physician and recipient opinions about discontinuing of the achieved pregnancy.Beneficence: Inclusion of this principle to In Vitro produced embryos and possibility of considering any “benefit” for a human embryo before transferring to a uterus.Nonmaleficence: Right of recipients to receiving a healthy gamete or embryo (without any known or detectable abnormality), its differences with eugenics, and right of transferred embryo to life.Conclusion: Justice: Distributive justice in allocation of donated gametes or embryos and public access to such services, insurance coverage, and right of access to gamete donation for postmenopausal women or couples without normal or apparently persistent relations.
