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Restoring natural function: access to infertility treatment using donated gametes
1The Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, Institute of Medicine, Law and Bioethics, University of Manchester, Humanities Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
Human Fertility (Cambridge, England)
|February 15, 2002
Summary
Health professionals should not make social judgments about fertility treatment suitability. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act
Area of Science:
- Medical ethics
- Reproductive medicine
- Healthcare law
Background:
- The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 1990 mandates social judgments for fertility treatment access.
- These judgments concern the probable welfare of the child, including the need for a father.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue against the ethical and legal requirement for social judgments in fertility services.
- To critique the ambiguity and lack of justice in current welfare-based access criteria.
Main Methods:
- Ethical analysis of medical practice and legislation.
- Legal and philosophical examination of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act's provisions.
- Argumentative essay based on ethical principles.
Main Results:
- Social judgments are deemed inappropriate in fertility treatment, mirroring their unacceptability in other medical fields.
- The current legal framework's focus on child welfare is ethically indefensible and lacks clarity.
- The Act's requirements for assessing a child's need for a father are problematic.
Conclusions:
- The law should be revised to remove social judgments from fertility treatment access.
- Ethical and just criteria for fertility services must be established, free from discriminatory social considerations.
- Reforming the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act is necessary for equitable patient access.