Embryo Use and Control
In vitro fertilization (IVF) offers a solution to most infertility cases in couples who are interested in having children. In some cases, excess embryos may be created. Here, the duty to decide on the fate of the surplus embryos rests with the couple. The IVF staff members should strive to respect the autonomy of individuals that provided the embryo in a bid to maintain ethical practices. The couple is mandated by the law to make crucial decisions on the step that should be taken on unused embryos since they are the owners of life.
The increase in IVF has also brought with it an increase in dilemmas and legal cases on what to do with donated embryos during special incidences such as following a divorce. After a divorce, each member of the couple is still eligible to decide the custody of the unused frozen embryos. If the two parties are in disagreement on the matter, the court should take up the issue and decide on a legal basis. The reproductive health facility can also prevent the occurrence of such a dilemma by having the couples sign a document that gives directions on the fate of unpreserved embryos in the case of a divorce (Schreider, 2017).
A surrogate mother carries a pregnancy to term and later gives over the child to the intended parents. As such, the surrogate mother is can either be genetically related to the child (e.g., in traditional surrogacy) or genetically unrelated (e.g., in gestational surrogacy). Thus, the surrogate mother may or may not possess visiting rights on the child, depending on the level of genetic relation. The intended parents of the child can also decide to grant the surrogate mother visiting rights. Surrogate mothers can also request to be given visitation rights depending on their level of attachment to the child (Hevia, 2018).
References
Hevia, M. (2018). Surrogacy, privacy, and the American Convention on Human Rights. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 5(2), 375–397.
Schreider, C. (2017). Cryopreserved embryo disputes: Weighing interests regarding genetic parenthood. J. Health Care L. & Poly, 20, 75.