5 Towards an Understanding of Embryo Donation ... 133Thus, the donors and offspring, and by implication the recipient fam-
ily, have ongoing social ties and connections to each other, akin to those
in ‘open’ adoption arrangements. Further, the donation is relational in
the sense that ED is frequently regarded as a form of gift-giving, which
may establish a social relationship of gifting-receiving-and-reciprocating
between donor and recipient families. Finally, by portraying each other
as extended family members, donor and recipient families are brought
into a relationship with each other that enables connection and involve-
ment, while recognising the parental autonomy of the recipients. The
psychosocial aspects of ED are thus significant, making ED a challeng-
ing option which results in new forms of relationships that may evolve
over time in unpredictable ways. Both donors and recipients have to
negotiate a path that few have undertaken, and have to work out ways
in which to donate embryos and build families that combine and sepa-
rate the genetic, biological, and social aspects of parenting and human
reproduction. New Zealand has developed a unique way of doing this.
By recognising the significance of the psychosocial issues, and through
the experiences and perspectives of the donors and recipients, we have
a view of how these issues are managed. However, there is a continu-
ing need to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to safeguard
the interests and needs of all parties, and especially those of the chil-
dren involved. This includes giving further consideration to implement-
ing mechanisms by which offspring may access information about their
genetic origins, more formal assessment of prospective donors and recip-
ients, and the establishment of ongoing support mechanisms for families
built in this manner.
References
Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART). (2008).
Guidelines on embryo donation for reproductive purposes. Retrieved from
http://www.acart.health.govt.nz/publications-and-resources/guidelines-and-advice-
issued-ecart/guidelines-embryo-donation.
Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART). (2013).
Guidelines on surrogacy involving reproductive purposes. Retrieved from
http://www.ebook3000.com