Ethical Challenges in Procuring Reproductive Tissues for Research

The presentation will review current ethical and legal challenges to obtaining reproductive materials for research.  These include; right to bequeath gametes and embryos as donations; right to consent to use of unused gametes and embryos and reproductive tissues obtained during medical procedures including infertility treatments, legal status of gametes and embryos, status of unclaimed reproductive tissues, right of surrogates to decide to donate, obligation to obtain explicit consent, modification of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, use of materials obtained from unexpected deaths.  Emerging opportunities—harvesting ovarian and testicular models, gametes from stem cells, chimeras