Posthumous collection and use of reproductive tissue: a committee opinion

Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine

doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.02.022

Posthumous collection and use of reproductive tissue: a committee opinion

Fertil Steril. 2013 Jun;99(7):1842-5. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.02.022. Epub 2013 Mar 5.

Author

Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine¹

Collaborators

Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine:
Paula Amato, Robert Brzyski, Jean Benward, Andrea Stein, Bonnie Steinbock, Bruce Wilder, Leslie Francis, Richard Reindollar, John Robertson, Judith Daar, Senait Fisseha, Steven Ralston, Mark Sauer, Monique Spillman, Robert Rebar, Sean Tipton

Affiliation

¹ American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama 35216, USA. ASRM@asrm.org

PMID: 23481276
DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.02.022

Abstract

Posthumous gamete (sperm or oocyte) procurement and reproduction are ethically justifiable if written documentation from the deceased authorizing the procedure is available. In the absence of written documentation from the decedent, programs open to considering requests for posthumous gamete procurement or reproduction should only do so when such requests are initiated by the surviving spouse or life partner. This document replaces the ASRM Ethics Committee report, "Posthumous reproduction," published in September 2004 (Fertil Steril 2004;82[Suppl 1]:S260-2).

Publication types

Practice Guideline

MeSH terms

Advance Directives
Consent Forms
Counseling
Cryopreservation* / ethics
Ethics Committees*
Grief
Humans
Informed Consent
Oocyte Retrieval* / ethics
Oocyte Retrieval* / legislation & jurisprudence
Parents
Posthumous Conception* / ethics
Posthumous Conception* / legislation & jurisprudence
Sperm Retrieval* / ethics
Sperm Retrieval* / legislation & jurisprudence
Spouses