THE SOCIAL-RESPONSIBILITY OF GAMETE PROVIDERS

This paper explores the social dimensions and, in particular, the soci al responsibilities of men and women who provide gametes for others. T he implications of providing, receiving or being conceived by such gam etes are considered within the context of the relationships between th e involved parties. A fourth party-health professionals and most notab ly doctors-have played a major part in the management of these relatio nships. Their traditional approach was to define clearly the boundarie s between the providers, the recipient/s and the offspring, this being represented by the practice of secrecy and anonymity. Challenges to t his traditional position are increasingly being made, most notably by the families that have resulted from the use of third-party gametes. I t is argued that gamete providers need to take responsibility for thei r actions and that this increasingly means considering the rights and needs of the offspring. The contention of doctors that gamete provider s would not be prepared to come forward unless they were guaranteed an onymity and secrecy is challenged by the presentation of data from stu dies that have sought the opinions of oocyte and semen providers on th is issue. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.