Embryo donation or embryo adoption? Conceptual and normative issues.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Reproductive Medicine
• Family Law

Background:

• Ethical debates surrounding the relinquishment of in vitro fertilization (IVF) surplus embryos for family building.
• The distinction between embryo donation and embryo adoption carries significant ethical and normative implications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To defend the conceptualization of embryo relinquishment through an adoption model rather than a donation model.
• To explore the impact of this conceptualization on parental responsibility and embryo recipient selection criteria.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical argumentation grounded in a theory of parental responsibility.
• Examination of geneticism as a basis for parental responsibility in embryo adoption.
• Analysis and rebuttal of objections to geneticism.
• Comparison of embryo adoption with the adoption of born children.

Main Results:

• The adoption model provides a more ethically sound framework for embryo relinquishment than the donation model.
• Geneticism offers a persuasive theory of parental responsibility applicable to embryo adoption.
• Differences between embryo and child adoption are compatible with the adoption model.

Conclusions:

• Conceptualizing embryo relinquishment as adoption, not donation, is ethically preferable.
• The adoption model has significant normative ramifications for family building through IVF.
• This framework supports ethical guidelines for embryo transfer and recipient selection.