RESUMEN
Social and legal equality for same-sex male couples continues to grow in many countries. Consequently, increasing numbers of same-sex male couples are seeking assisted reproductive technology to achieve parenthood. Fertility treatment for same-sex male couples is an undoubtedly complex issue and raises a variety of ethical concerns. Relevant considerations include ethical issues relating to the surrogate and a possible egg donor, the commissioning same-sex couple, the welfare of the child and the fertility clinic itself. This work analyses these arguments in the context of modern fertility services, providing reflection on the evidence present and what it means for clinicians today. Herein, we argue that fertility treatment for same-sex male couples via surrogacy agreements are acceptable, subject to considerations of each individual case, as in all assisted reproductive treatment. It is in the interest of open and equal access to health services that barriers to assisted reproductive technology for same-sex male couples should be minimised where possible.
Asunto(s)
Clínicas de Fertilidad/ética , Homosexualidad Masculina , Técnicas Reproductivas Asistidas/ética , Madres Sustitutas , Niño , Protección a la Infancia , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Embarazo , Donantes de TejidosRESUMEN
Assisted reproduction using donor gametes is a procedure that allows those who are unable to produce their own gametes to achieve gestational parenthood. Where conception is achieved using donor sperm, the child lacks a genetic link to the intended father. Where it is achieved using a donor egg, the child lacks a genetic link to the intended mother. To address this lack of genetic kinship, some fertility clinics engage in the practice of matching the ethnicity of the gamete donor to that of the recipient parent. The intended result is for the child to have the phenotypic characteristics of the recipient parents. This paper examines the philosophical and ethical problems raised by the policy of ethnic matching in gamete donation. I consider arguments for the provision of ethnic matching based on maximising physical resemblance and fostering ethnic identity development. I then consider an argument against ethnic matching based on the charge of racialism. I conclude that while the practice of ethnic matching in gamete donation could promote positive ethnic identity development in donor-conceived children from historically subjugated ethnic minorities, it also risks endorsing the problematic societal attitudes and assumptions regarding ethnicity that enabled such subjugation in the first place.
Asunto(s)
Donación Directa de Tejido/ética , Etnicidad , Técnicas Reproductivas Asistidas/ética , Femenino , Clínicas de Fertilidad/ética , Clínicas de Fertilidad/organización & administración , Humanos , Masculino , Política Organizacional , Grupos Raciales , Racismo/ética , Identificación SocialRESUMEN
Cross-border reproductive care (CBRC) can be defined as the movement from one jurisdiction to another for medically assisted reproduction (MAR). CBRC raises many ethical concerns that have been addressed extensively. However, the conclusions are still based on scarce evidence even considering the global scale of CBRC. Empirical ethics appears as a way to foster this ethical reflection on CBRC while attuning it with the experiences of its main actors. To better understand the 'in and out' situation of CBRC in Canada, we conducted an ethnographic study taking a 'critically applied ethics' approach. This article presents a part of the findings of this research, obtained by data triangulation from qualitative analysis of pertinent literature, participant observation in two Canadian fertility clinics and 40 semidirected interviews. Based on participants' perceptions, four themes emerged: (1) inconsistencies of the Canadian legal framework; (2) autonomy and the necessity to resort to CBRC; (3) safety and the management of CBRC individual risks; and (4) justice and solidarity. The interaction between these four themes highlights the problematic of 'reproductive outsourcing' that characterised the Canadian situation, a system where the controversial aspects of MAR are knowingly pushed outside the borders.