Recent advances in medically assisted conception: legal, ethical and social issues

A review of reports, bills and legislation from around the world, during the period from 1987 to 1991, reveals certain areas of consensus on the possible or actual, ethical and legal regulation of medically assisted conception. Other areas remain controversial, due not only to cultural and religious differences but also to the social significance of the very implementation of these new technologies. Irrespective of these differences, the reformulation of certain shared international principles of human rights permits a greater specificity both in their translation and in their application to medically assisted conception. Areas discussed include the dignity of the person, the security of human genetic material, the quality of services, the inviolability of the person and the inalienability of the person.