Posthumous Reproductive Rights

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Robert Brzyski, MD, PhD When a mother was granted legal permission to collect her 21 year old deceased son's sperm in April 2009, questions were raised about posthumous reproductive rights. Although the mother declared that her son always wanted to have children, does this meet the criteria of informed consent, or is it an example of substituted judgment? Can this situation be compared to a spouse or girlfriend having an in depth discussion about having a posthumous child? How should we consider the welfare of the child in such a situation? Host Dr. Maurice Pickard discusses these ethical questions with guest Dr. Robert Brzyski, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and chair of the ethics committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.