Gamete and embryo donation for research: what might shape the willingness to donate among gamete donors and recipients?

Purpose: Research using gametes and embryos donated by reproductive and third-party donors contributed to substantial, albeit contentious achievements. The views of gamete donors and recipients on donation for research and the underpinning role of attitudes towards research have been seldom explored and are yet to be incorporated into ethical, legal, and regulatory landscapes. From a cultural standpoint, this study adapts and explores psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Research Attitudes Questionnaire (RAQ), and analyzes the willingness of gamete donors and recipients to donate gametes and embryos for research and its association with sociodemographic, reproductive characteristics, and attitudes towards research.

Medical ethics when moving towards non-anonymous gamete donation: the views of donors and recipients.

Drawing on the views of donors and recipients about anonymity in a country that is experiencing a transition towards non-anonymous gamete donation mandated by the Constitutional Court, we explore how the intersection between rights-based approaches and an empirical framework enhances recommendations for ethical policy and healthcare. Between July 2017 and April 2018, 69 donors and 147 recipients, recruited at the Portuguese Public Bank of Gametes, participated in this cross-sectional study. Position towards anonymity was assessed through an open-ended question in a self-report questionnaire, which was subject to content analysis.

[Gamete donation: (un)answered social and ethical issues in Portugal].

Awareness of the discussion surrounding the social and ethical challenges regarding gamete donation is crucial for good governance of assisted reproduction techniques. In this article, we analyze the topics that guided the debate in the Portuguese ethics organizations, discussing their connections with themes addressed internationally. To that end, in March 2018, we systematically searched the websites of the National Council of Medically Assisted Procreation and of the National Ethics Council for Life Sciences.

Protecting Animals and Enabling Research in the European Union: An Overview of Development and Implementation of Directive 2010/63/EU.

In 1986, European Directive 86/609/EEC, regulating the use of animals in research, was one of the first examples of common legislation to set standards for animal protection across the Member States of the former European Economic Community, now the European Union, with the aim of securing a level European playing field. Starting in 2002, a process of revising European animal experimentation legislation was undertaken, with one of its key aims being to ensure high standards of welfare for laboratory animals across Europe. This resulted in Directive 2010/63/EU, which has regulated this activity in Europe since 2013.