Counselling

The rapid development of new medical technology has raised many ethical and legal issues. Society is only beginning to devise acceptable answers.

New reproductive technologies are changing many cherished ideas about family relationships. Today a child can be born from a donated egg, with donated sperm, from the uterus of a woman who is a "gestational carrier." In this way, a woman with no hereditary link to the offspring may deliver a child who is also not related by genetics to the eventual parents of the child. When all parties agree to such unconventional arrangements, they can be quite satisfactory. But when disagreements arise, the legal issues involved are formidable.

Because   infertility and its treatment raise several issues, and because the treatment itself may involve considerable time, expense, and loss of privacy, many couples find the procedure extremely stressful. Physicians experienced in the field recommend both counseling and infertility support groups to assist couples in their journey through the process.