Made-to-order embryos for sale--a brave new world?

Embryo donat ion (also known as embryo adopt ion) is the compassionate gif t ing of residual cryopreserved embryos by consent ing parents to infert ile recipients. At present, only a limited number of such transact ions occur. In 2010, the last year for which U.S. data were available, fewer than 1000 embryo donat ions were recorded. These acts of giving, unencumbered by federal law, are being guided by a limited number of state laws. Moreover, the pract ice is sanct ioned by professional societ ies, such as the American Society for Reproduct ive Medicine, subject to the provision that “the selling of embryos per se is ethically unacceptable.”1 As such, the not-for-prof it donat ion of exist ing embryos by consent ing parents comports with a t riad of commonly held ethical at t ributes. First , donated embryos are not sold for prof it . Second, donated embryos are (by original intent) generated for self -use. Third, donated embryos are the product of an unambiguous parental unit and as such are t ransferable. All told, embryo donat ion const itutes an established if limited component of present-day assisted reproduct ion.