Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Medical Ethics logoLink to Journal of Medical Ethics
. 2000 Jun;26(3):206–211. doi: 10.1136/jme.26.3.206

To give or sell human gametes - the interplay between pragmatics, policy and ethics

K Daniels 1
PMCID: PMC1733228  PMID: 10860215

Abstract

The ever-growing acceptance and use of assisted human reproduction techniques has caused demand for "donated" sperm and eggs to outstrip supply. Medical professionals and others argue that monetary reward is the only way to recruit sufficient numbers of "donors". Is this a clash between pragmatics and policy/ethics? Where monetary payments are the norm, alternative recruitment strategies used successfully elsewhere may not have been considered, nor the negative consequences of commercialism on all participants thought through. Considerations leading some countries to ban the buying and selling of sperm, eggs and embryos are outlined and a case made that the collective welfare of all involved parties be the primary consideration in this, at times heated, debate.

Key Words: Gametes • gifting • selling • ethics • policy

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (103.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baird P. A. Ethical issues of fertility and reproduction. Annu Rev Med. 1996;47:107–116. doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.47.1.107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Craft I., Johnson M. H., Sauer M. V. Should egg donors be paid? BMJ. 1997 May 10;314(7091):1400–1403. doi: 10.1136/bmj.314.7091.1400. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Daniels K. R., Gunby J., Legge M., Williams T. H., Wynn-Williams D. B. Issues and problems for the infertile couple. N Z Med J. 1984 Mar 28;97(752):185–187. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Daniels K. R., Hall D. J. Semen donor recruitment strategies--a non-payment based approach. Hum Reprod. 1997 Oct;12(10):2330–2335. doi: 10.1093/humrep/12.10.2330. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Daniels K. R. Information sharing in donor insemination: a conflict of rights and needs. Camb Q Healthc Ethics. 1995 Spring;4(2):217–224. doi: 10.1017/s0963180100005910. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Daniels K. R., Lewis G. M., Curson R. Information sharing in semen donation: the views of donors. Soc Sci Med. 1997 Mar;44(5):673–680. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(96)00220-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Daniels K. R., Lewis G. M. Donor insemination: the gifting and selling of semen. Soc Sci Med. 1996 Jun;42(11):1521–1536. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(95)00251-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Daniels Ken R., Taylor Karyn. Secrecy and openness in donor insemination. Politics Life Sci. 1993 Aug;12(2):155–170. doi: 10.1017/s0730938400023984. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. GREGOIRE A. T., MAYER R. C. THE IMPREGNATORS. (WILLIAM PANCOAST), (ADDISON DAVIS HARD). Fertil Steril. 1965 Jan-Feb;16:130–134. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gazvani M. R., Wood S. J., Thomson A. J., Kingsland C. R., Lewis-Jones D. I. Payment or altruism? The motivation behind gamete donation. Hum Reprod. 1997 Sep;12(9):1845–1846. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a019606. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Johnson M. Payments to gamete donors: position of the human fertilisation and embryology authority. Hum Reprod. 1997 Sep;12(9):1839–1842. doi: 10.1093/humrep/12.9.1839. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lui S. C., Weaver S. M. Attitudes and motives of semen donors and non-donors. Hum Reprod. 1996 Sep;11(9):2061–2066. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a019544. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lyall H., Gould G. W., Cameron I. T. Should sperm donors be paid? A survey of the attitudes of the general public. Hum Reprod. 1998 Mar;13(3):771–775. doi: 10.1093/humrep/13.3.771. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Novaes S. B. Giving, receiving, repaying. Gamete donors and donor policies in reproductive medicine. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 1989;5(4):639–657. doi: 10.1017/s0266462300008515. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Purdie A., Peek J. C., Adair V., Graham F., Fisher R. Attitudes of parents of young children to sperm donation--implications for donor recruitment. Hum Reprod. 1994 Jul;9(7):1355–1358. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a138709. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Robertson J. A. Ethical and legal issues in human egg donation. Fertil Steril. 1989 Sep;52(3):353–363. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)60899-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shenfield F., Steele S. J. A gift is a gift is a gift, or why gamete donors should not be paid. Hum Reprod. 1995 Feb;10(2):253–255. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a135924. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Walters LeRoy. Current and future issues in assisted reproduction. Kennedy Inst Ethics J. 1996 Dec;6(4):383–387. doi: 10.1353/ken.1996.0047. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Medical Ethics are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES