Making babies without sex: The law and the profits

Abstract

Action on three levels is warranted: a model state law designed to clearly define the identity of the legal mother and father of all children, including those born to other than their genetic parents, and outlawing the sale of human embryos, should be drafted and enacted; professional organizations, with public participation, should develop and promulgate guidelines for sound clinical practice; and a national body of experts in law, public policy, science, medicine, and ethics should be established to monitor developments in this area and report annually to Congress and the individual states on the desirability of specific regulation and legislation. At all levels, the primary focus should be on protecting the interests of the children, even if their protection sometimes comes at the expense of some infertile couples. This general policy will also protect the integrity of artificial reproduction itself.