Legal-Ethical Issues
In many countries, the donor is ignorant of the legal and ethical issues that form the grey area of egg donation.
Some of the most important ones are observed below-
- The donor should completely understand the procedure, the legal-ethical aspects and also the possible risks involved, before agreeing to the procedure. She must sign, what is termed as, the informed consent.
- It must be observed by the donor that no embryo may be formed from the eggs donated by her. In many recipients, a pregnancy may result in a miscarriage.
- Only 1-3 embryos are used for transfer to the recipient’s uterus. The remaining embryos are usually frozen for later use, if required, by the recipient. The embryos may remain frozen for a very long period of time or they may be destroyed. Alternatively, they may be used for research. The donor has no say in the matter.
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- The donor should not be forced into a contract to donate more than once. It may not suit the health of the donor and may also result in the production of several genetic offsprings of a single individual.
- Despite being the genetic parent, the donor has no parental rights or responsibilities towards the offsprings generated from the donated eggs.
- It is important for the donor who is contributing towards research to understand that she may not directly benefit from her donation
Perhaps, donating eggs for reproduction is more emotional, as the donor does not get to see the offspring.
