Gamete Donation and the Law.
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IVF, and particularly gamete donation, is a highly controversial topic. The field breaks many taboos, social boundaries and ethical fields. Therefore, most countries in the world have felt the need to develop Laws limiting the use of IVF technology for the donation of gametes. These Laws range from outright bans of gamete donation, bans on egg donation but not sperm donation (for example in Switzerland), to complete freedom and the subsequent commercialisation of the technique (for example in the USA). |
The ethics of gamete donation.
The ethics of gamete donation stem from 3 principles. Firstly, there is the question of payments to donors. On one side, payments are deemed necessary to compensate for the risks and time lost involved in egg and sperm donation, whereas the other argument suggests that payments are unethical because they induce people to take unnecessary risks. A second argument is the number of times people should donate i.e. how many children should a single donor be allowed to conceive. The third argument is on whether the donor should have any responsibility for donating gametes i.e. whether children conceived through gamete donation should be able to trace their biological parents.
Laws of gamete donation.
These considerations form the basis of Laws on donating eggs and sperm. However, Laws differ throughout the world, depending on to what extent the relative arguments have convinced Lawmakers. For example, in Northern Europe, traceable gamete donation is now relatively common (i.e. the donor must leave identifiable information in order to donate gametes). In Southern Europe, anonymous donation is the norm.
Before you embark on a cycle of IVF with egg donation, you should be aware of the Law in the country with which you will be having treatment. Here, we have compiled a list of Laws regarding egg and sperm donation throughout the World. The compilation demonstrates the views different countries have on this subject.
If we have missed your country, or you discover a mistake in the list, please don’t hesitate to contact us through the IVFAgent contact form.
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