Case 21-2010: Anoxic Brain Injury and a Request for Oocyte Retrieval

Abstract

To the Editor: Reproductive medicine continually confronts new ethical frontiers, as illustrated by a recently published case (July 15 issue).1 Although similar cases with men and sperm retrieval have been observed, posthumous oocyte retrieval is new. Anticipating such cases, the Reproductive Medicine Advisory Board, a multidisciplinary professional group at the Mayo Clinic, approved in January a sex-neutral policy for posthumous gamete retrieval. Guided by ethical principles, including justice, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and beneficence, we outlined a process that applies to sperm or egg retrieval in seriously ill, injured, or recently deceased persons. The requirements for such retrieval are as follows: the . . .