[Changes of the German embryo protection law from a physician's point of view]

It is a legitimate question to ask of reproductive medicine, whether it does meet the actual nedds of the people involved. Although te conveying of information and counselling has been much improved, there are still deficiencies. Artificial insemination (for lesbian couples also) should be based on a solid juridical foundation to allow more appropriate counselling to be provided. As studies on parents and procreated children after egg donation have shown that there are no developmental abnormalities, it appears that the prohibition of oocyte donation is outdated. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), human embryo selection and research on the human embryo will continue tobe issues that lead to controversy-laden ethical discussions. Ideas on the graded protection of human life might lay the foundation for a pragmatic consensus for further discussions.