REVIEW  THE EVOLUTION OF IVF 

Minerva Endocrinologica 2018 March;43(1):80-6

DOI: 10.23736/S0391-1977.17.02664-5

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Ethical considerations in the field of assisted reproductive technology

Lindsey N. COBB ¹, Raymond W. KE ^{2, 3} ✉

¹ College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA; ² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; ³ Assisted Reproduction, Fertility Associate of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA

Human reproduction has always generated more than its share of emotion that exceeds the life and death issues of medicine. For patients that are unable to conceive naturally, medical advances have greatly expanded treatment options. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a highly evolving, complex, and controversial field of medicine in which ethical principles play a large role in decision-making. The following highlights ethical considerations regarding ART, specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF), that practicing obstetricians and indeed all physicians may encounter. The aim was to encourage practitioners to consider these issues, and more, when developing guidelines for their own practice.

KEY WORDS: Ethics - Reproductive techniques, assisted - Fertilization in vitro