Incest, gamete donation by siblings and the importance of the genetic link. 2002

G Pennings
Free University Brussels, Department of Philosophy, Pleinlaan 2, Lok. 5C442, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. gpenning@vub.ac.be

Recently, several requests have emerged in which women wished to be impregnated with donor eggs fertilized with spermatozoa of their brother. An important argument advanced against such applications is that it is a kind of incest. Four definitions of incest are reviewed in this article to evaluate the acceptability of these demands. The first three (sexual intercourse, reproduction with gametes of first-degree relatives and symbolic incest) do not apply to the cases. However, when the sister and her brother intend to raise the child as social mother and father, these requests should be considered as "intentional incest". If the brother only functions as an uncle, the request of the woman resembles the currently accepted practice of oocyte donation from sister to sister. In that case, the wish to receive gametes from a first-degree relative is motivated by the wish to establish as far as possible a genetic link with the child.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007179 Incest Sexual intercourse between persons so closely related that they are forbidden by law to marry.
D003241 Consanguinity The magnitude of INBREEDING in humans. Inbreeding, Human,Consanguineous Marriage,Consanguinous Mating,Consanguineous Marriages,Consanguinities,Consanguinous Matings,Human Inbreeding,Human Inbreedings,Inbreedings, Human,Marriage, Consanguineous,Marriages, Consanguineous,Mating, Consanguinous,Matings, Consanguinous
D005307 Fertilization in Vitro An assisted reproductive technique that includes the direct handling and manipulation of oocytes and sperm to achieve fertilization in vitro. Test-Tube Fertilization,Fertilizations in Vitro,In Vitro Fertilization,Test-Tube Babies,Babies, Test-Tube,Baby, Test-Tube,Fertilization, Test-Tube,Fertilizations, Test-Tube,In Vitro Fertilizations,Test Tube Babies,Test Tube Fertilization,Test-Tube Baby,Test-Tube Fertilizations
D033001 Directed Tissue Donation Tissue, organ, or gamete donation intended for a designated recipient. Directed Donation,Directed Gamete Donation,Directed Organ Donation,Directed Donations,Directed Gamete Donations,Directed Organ Donations,Directed Tissue Donations,Donation, Directed,Donation, Directed Gamete,Donation, Directed Organ,Donation, Directed Tissue,Donations, Directed,Donations, Directed Gamete,Donations, Directed Organ,Donations, Directed Tissue,Gamete Donation, Directed,Gamete Donations, Directed,Organ Donation, Directed,Organ Donations, Directed,Tissue Donation, Directed,Tissue Donations, Directed
D035781 Siblings Persons or animals having at least one parent in common. (American College Dictionary, 3d ed) Brothers,Sisters,Brother,Sibling,Sister

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