Monetary relationship in gamete donation - the ethical view

Abstract

During the last decades, gamete donation has been known as an assisted reproductive treatment for infertile couples. This method has raised many ethical issues; one of the dilemmas is the payment between the donor and recipient. In this article we discuss the payment issues in gamete donation. For compiling this article, we searched keywords of "gamete donation, monetary relationship and ethics" in Pubmed and Ovid.
After reviewing the history of gamete donation, the risks and benefits of gamete donation, the motivations of donation and the financial incentives were reviewed. Then the ethical debates were discussed; the possibility of undue inducements, coercion and exploitation, the quality of informed consent, commodification of donation, compensating the risks and troubles, the results of not paying the donors and other ethical aspects were also explained.
Payment is one of the inevitable problems in gamete donation. Considering the scarce supply of gametes compared to its demand, the current policies of gamete donation without any payment leads to increasing numbers of infertile couples and also the longer waiting times for treatment. Moreover, the essential and immediate needs of couples for gamete leads to significant expenditures in illegal outlines. It is necessary to compile an arranged schedule to organize the financial relationship between the donor and recipient in a legal outline.