FORMULATING SELECTION POLICIES FOR ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

This paper addresses one of the most important problems in the area of assisted reproduction, namely the selection policies used by the prov iders of the services. Some of the difficulties involved in formulatin g policies in this area are outlined. The paper concludes that public involvement in decision making in this area is vital, and that to faci litate this the issues must be opened up to public scrutiny and debate . Such a debate would be a significant first step towards the implemen tation of policies which reflect the opinion of the entire community r ather than just the professionals who provide the service, or sectiona l groups who manage to influence the professionals.