assisted reproduction

Egg Donation - Interesting article out of The Hastings Center that places a few ethical issues involving the field of human reproduction square into the public eye. I would read it in its entirety, and let me know your thoughts - is this an ethical issue? Is there a conflict here?. I will digest and comment early next week.

Resolve did a great job discussing the new laws in Arizona that have since been passed into law. Below is an excerpt of their findings:

"SB 1306 (the egg bill)

The good news: SB 1306 no longer bans compensation for egg donors (which would have effectively ended egg donation treatment in Arizona).

Last Wednesday there was a briefing on Capitol Hill where advocates from Resolve: The National Fertility Association urged for full health insurance coverage of infertility and related services. According to Washington Times columnist Cheryl Wetzstein the advocates stated that the "complex, emotionally riveting issue" of infertility "needs to come out of the shadows -- and be fully covered by health insurance."

Colorado and Mississippi will both have “personhood” amendments on their ballots in November.

Colorado’s personhood amendment states: “Section 32. Person defined. As used in sections 3, 6, and 25 of Article II of the state constitution, the term “person” shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.”

It is the first birth certificate that leaves the father off the official record for the first time in nearly 200 years, and it happened in the UK.

"It shows only a mother and a ‘parent’ – also a woman – for newly-born Lily-May Betty Woods.

The baby was born to 38-yearold Natalie Woods. The parent named on the form is Miss Woods’s partner, 47-year-old Betty Knowles.

There is no mention of the father, or donor, as the couple prefer to call the anonymous man whose sperm provided half of Lily-May’s genes through IVF treatment.

Sperm Donation - A Pennsylvania judge issued a ruling about a year ago that stated that a woman and her child can move forward on a case to sue a sperm bank under product liability law. Well, the appellate court has since reversed that ruling as follows:

Shannon P. Duffy
The Legal Intelligencer
April 06, 2010

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202447538837

Genetic defects in sperm from a sperm bank cannot form the basis for a products liability suit, a federal appeals court has ruled, because allowing such a claim would be tantamount to recognizing a claim of "wrongful life."

Embryo donation & family trees- I found an interesting article today that I thought might provoke some thoughts in both the industry and by those considering this option. I have included the family tree diagram, which was very interesting and provocative; however, at the same time I felt that shows how diverse families are and how these individuals came together to create several beautiful families - without the children losing their sense of identity. Let me know your thoughts.