Dr. Ricardo Asch of California was at the center of a human egg and embryo scandal in 1996. In his infertility clinic, he was found to have taken excess eggs from patients and used them for other patients who needed donor eggs. Normally, a patient consents to donate and much paperwork is filled out to document all the details. Some of the egg recipients and all of the donors were unaware of the swaps. There were forty known cases, and the staff says there were likely many others. The scandal became public when staff became suspicious and called in the police.
This left many patients unsure about the paternity of their children. No one knew for sure whose children were really whose.
What responsibilities did the parents have to seek the true paternity of their children? What about cases where parents learned that their child was from another woman? Would they be morally responsible to share custody with the donor? What a wonderful world we live in culd u imagine?
2007-12-19 10:03:45 · 3 answers · asked by BiologyQuestions 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
"What responsibilities did the parents have to seek the true paternity of their children?"
"Legal" responsibility?
None.
"Moral" responsibility?
Thats a tougher one. In 'most' cases of mistaken parenthood, there are concerns about medical records - "Do my natural parents carry some sort of potential genetic bombshell I should know about?", but in this case, because of the nature of the procedure, the donor parents had all been very carefully screened for that sort of stuff up front.
In addition, he matched donor and recipient familes by appearance and ethnic background, so none of the kids are growing up as a freckled redhead in an African-American family either.
If it was me...... I wouldn't tell my kid at all that he's not 'biologically' mine. Your personal opinion may be different.
Richard
2007-12-19 10:12:16 · answer #1 · answered by rickinnocal 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The parents have no legal responsibility whatsoever.
They are the victims, and would not be subject to any lawsuit or required to prove paternity.
It would be ethically and morally right to seek out (if possible) those who received donor eggs an embryos, and exchange medical information, if it can be done so without invading the privacy of all persons involved.
2007-12-19 10:11:53 · answer #2 · answered by CGIV76 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would be so pissed off if that was me...I wouldn't mind donating and being aware but not being aware I would feel robbed? I can not imagine.
2007-12-19 10:07:21 · answer #3 · answered by confused<3 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋