Policy formation in gamete donation and egg sharing in the UK—a critical appraisal

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) Vol. 59; no. 12; pp. 2617 - 2626
• Main Authors: Blyth, Eric, Crawshaw, Marilyn, Daniels, Ken
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2004; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Series: Social Science & Medicine
• Subjects: Access to Information - legislation & jurisprudence; Anonymity; Artificial Insemination; Bioethics; Biological and medical sciences; British fertility society; Confidentiality - legislation & jurisprudence; Counseling; Decision Making; Donor anonymity; Donors; Egg sharing; Ethics; Fertility; Foetus; Gamete donation; Guidelines as Topic; Health care policy; Health policy; Human fertilisation and embryology authority; Human fertilisation and embryology authority British fertility society Donor anonymity Egg sharing UK; Humans; Licensure; Medical sciences; Medical Technology; Miscellaneous; Oocyte Donation - legislation & jurisprudence; Oocyte Donation - standards; Policy; Policy Making; Pregnancy; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Public Policy; Reproductive technologies; Sharing; Societies, Medical; Tissue Donors - legislation & jurisprudence; Treatment Outcome; United Kingdom; United Kingdom; Europe; United Kingdom > UK; British fertility society; Donor anonymity; UK; Egg sharing; Human fertilisation and embryology authority; Ovocyte donation; Anonymity; Assisted procreation; Psychosocial factor; Semen donation; Ethics; Gamete; Health policy; Donor; Fertility; Donation; Critical study; Social aspect; Public health; British Fertility Society; Genetics and Reproduction; Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.04.010

This article considers two key policy documents concerning donor-assisted conception in the UK, The British Fertility Society's Recommendations for Good Practice on the Screening of Egg and Embryo Donors and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Guidance for Egg Sharing Arrangements. It discusses both the process and the evidence used in formulating those sections of the documents which relate to donor anonymity. The paper concludes that psycho-social policy developments in assisted conception, such as those relating to donor anonymity, should be subjected to comparable levels of rigour and scrutiny to those that are applied in the formulation of medical and scientific policies.