Ethical considerations in the field of assisted reproductive technology

Abstract

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.