rss
J Med Ethics 2002;28:139-142 doi:10.1136/jme.28.3.139
  • Original Article

Disparities in parenting criteria: an exploration of the issues, focusing on adoption and embryo donation

  1. H Widdows1,
  2. F MacCallum2
  1. 1Centre for the Study of Global Ethics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
  2. 2Family and Child Psychology Research Centre, City University, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr H Widdows, Centre for the Study of Global Ethics, University of Birmingham, 13 Prichatts Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT;
 h.widdows{at}bham.ac.uk
  • Accepted 11 January 2002
  • Revised 9 December 2001

Abstract

This paper examines the consistency of parent selection procedures, focusing on adoption and embryo donation. It outlines the current methods of selection and their disparities, and considers reasons for these disparities; namely, the intentionality of the parents, the gestational experience, and the technological imperative. This discussion is followed by an analysis of the ethical validity of these reasons, in terms of their consistency and how well they meet standards of equity and justice. The paper concludes that current approaches to parent selection are unsystematic and inadequate, and discusses the implications of this assessment.

Footnotes

    This Article

    1. Abstract
    2. Full text
    3. PDF

    Responses

    1. Submit a response
    2. No responses published

    Register for free content

    The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

    Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.