Ethical Dilemmas for Oocyte Donations: Slippery Slope for Conflicts of Interest

摘要

Oocyte donations have increased with improvements in oocyte cryopreservation procedures in recent years. Women with medical conditions that require chemotherapy or radiotherapy have begun to opt for oocyte cryopreservation prior to their treatment or to enroll in an oocyte donation program. Alternatively, some women apply for "third-party" oocyte donation programs for nonmedical reasons such as delayed childbearing. Although society seems to accept oocyte donations for medical reasons, it appears that there are still some moral issues surrounding nonmedical oocyte donations. In this review, the ethical aspects of oocyte donations and donors' perspectives are discussed. With developing technologies, the genetic screening of donors has expanded to include diseases. This review explores the ethical issues involved in genetic screening of gamete donors.