Challenging the ethics of posthumous sperm retrieval in Israel.

In October 2003, the Israeli Attorney General published guidelines allowing posthumous sperm retrieval for the purpose of later insemination or in vitro fertilisation by the surviving female partner. The basic premise of the guidelines is that personal autonomy overrides any other ethical principle, a viewpoint which is challenged in this article. It puts the view that the autonomy of the adult should not over-ride the well-being of the offspring. It also argues that, despite the centrality of autonomy in the guidelines, they actually infringe on the autonomy of the deceased, and pose challenges to that of the surviving partner. It questions the propriety and very possibility of ascertaining the "presumed wishes" of the deceased for a posthumous child. Finally, it argues against the presentation in the guidelines of posthumous sperm retrieval as a medical procedure and contends that, on the contrary, medicine and science are suborned to the exploitation of the dead. (1)

(1.) Landau R. Posthumous sperm retrieval for the purpose of later insemination or IVF in Israel: an ethical and psychosocial critique. Human Reproduction 2004; 19(9):1952-56.