[Forensic medicine aspects of surrogate mothers and artificial insemination]

Artificial insemination solves the problem of childlessness in a way never before thought possible. There is now often a lack of guiding principles in law, and new ethical questions have arisen. It would appear that homologous insemination is the simplest. This is recognized by the church; by doctors, even for unmarried couples. Heterological insemination, on the other hand, is only rarely acceptable to married couples, and then subject to the limits of generation, the avoidance of half-brothers and sisters, and gamete mistakes, as well as any commercialization. The medical standpoint and other legal developments must be reconciled with these factors; particularly the possibility of cancelling the anonymity of the sperm donor and the right to appeal of the social father. As a general principle, the ruling premise should be to place the burden of risk on the parents. With in-vitro fertilization, the existence of surplus embryos is particularly problematic. It is becoming more and more common to regard life as commencing in the zygote and not in the nidation. Can the scientific experiments permitted under the new professional regulations-even with more complicated requirements-be reconciled with this? Consensus can be reached in rejecting surrogate motherhood, since the danger of commercialization is too great, and propagation possibilities are being opened up which, to our present understanding, are irresponsible.