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Why is an Egg Donor a Genetic Parent, but not a Mitochondrial Donor?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2019

Abstract:

As new ways of reproducing emerge, advancing technologies are forcing us to rethink our old ideas of what it means to be a genetic parent. Why should some processes qualify as “reproduction” and others should not? To illustrate the practical impact of providing a defensible account of reproduction, the author examines the case of mitochondrial donation (mtDNA) and calls for a philosophical argument to bring clarity to exactly what we mean by ‘reproduction.’

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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Footnotes

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Sean Allen-Hermanson, Tim Lewens, Matt Mosdell, Robert Sparrow, Jim Tabery, and anonymous reviewers for their careful reading and constructive criticism.

References

Notes

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4. More than a handful of bioethicists have acknowledged the difficulty of identifying the genetic parents of offspring created through new reproductive technologies (most recently Douglas, T. 2014. Stem cell-derived gametes, iterated in vitro reproduction, and genetic parenthood. Journal of Medical Ethics 40: 723–4;CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed Mertes, H. 2014. Gamete derivation from stem cells: Revisiting the concept of genetic parenthood. Journal of Medical Ethics 40: 744–7,CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed but see also Alpern, KD. 1992. Genetic puzzles and stork stories. In: Alpern, KD, ed. The Ethics of Reproductive Technology. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 147–69;Google Scholar Kolers, A, Bayne, T. 2001. Are you my mommy? On the genetic basis of parenthood. Journal of Applied Philosophy 18:273–85;CrossRefGoogle Scholar Kolers, A, Bayne, T. Toward a pluralistic account of parenthood. Bioethics 2003;17:221–42;Google Scholar Kolers, A. Cloning and genetic parenthood. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 2003;12:401–10;CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed Mertes, H & Pennings, G. Embryonic stem cell-derived gametes and genetic parenthood: A problematic relationship. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 2008;17:714;CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed Silver, LM & Silver, SR. Confused heritage and the absurdity of genetic ownership. Harvard Journal of Law & Technology 1998;11:593618;Google ScholarPubMed Sparrow, R. Cloning, Parenthood, and Genetic Relatedness. Bioethics 2006;20:308–18;CrossRefGoogle Scholar Sparrow, R. Orphaned at conception: The uncanny offspring of embryos. Bioethics 2012;26:173–81).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed However, instead of seeing this as a reason to rethink our existing concept of reproduction, as I am proposing, the trend (with a few exceptions) has been to either abandon the genetic notion of parenthood all together, or to hold on to the traditional concept of sexual reproduction and use it to decide who is and is not a genetic parent.

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10. President’s Commission. op. cit. note 5, at 55.

11. Consider, for example, the recent case of the Benioff Children’s Hospital and Jahi McMath. Going against the family’s wishes, the hospital refused to take care of Jahi once she was declared brain dead (S. Lupkin. 2015. Family California Teen Declared Brain Dead Sues Hospital for Malpractice. ABC News 3 March; available at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/family-california-teen-declared-brain-dead-sues-hospital/story?id=29363442 (last accessed 24 July 2015).

12. Only mothers pass down mitochondrial genes to their children.

13. See note 3, Nuffield Council on Bioethics 2012, at 53.

14. See note 3, Nuffield Council on Bioethics 2012, at 77.

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22. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Mitochondrial donation: Clinic staff guide to consent. Version 1: 14, 2015. Available at: http://www.hfea.gov.uk/9939.html (last accessed 24 July 2015).

23. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (Disclosure and Donor Information) Regulations 2004; available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/1511/contents/made (last accessed 24 July 2015).

24. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. HFEA Policies on Donation 2014; available at: http://www.hfea.gov.uk/5554.html (last accessed 24 July 2015).

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26. See, for example, Campo-Engelstein ( Campo-Engelstein, L. Gametes or organs? How should we legally classify ovaries used for transplantation in the USA? Journal of Medical Ethics 2011;37:166–70CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed) for a discussion on the right not to reproduce in the context of ovarian tissue transplants that can lead to pregnancy.

27. Berkowitz ( Berkowitz, JM. Mummy was a fetus: Motherhood and fetal ovarian transplantation. Journal of Medical Ethics 1995;21:298304CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed) raised the same question in the 1990s, when researchers at Edinburgh University were working on transplanting the ovaries of an aborted fetus into an infertile woman.