Legal Issues in Gamete and Embryo Cryopreservation: An Overview

This article provides an overview of existing and developing law surrounding IVF embryos and those who handle them. It discusses what law and legal theories of liability may apply to embryology labs, and gamete and embryo banks in the context of embryo loss, abandonment, shipping and implantation. It explores how often intertwined theories of law have been applied to this unique field, including contract, informed consent, health, tort and Constitutional law. Recent so-called Personhood initiatives are reviewed for their impact on ART practice. The article also explores how legal principles related to patient choice, autonomy, informed consent, and the various rights and responsibilities of providers and patients have been applied to this area of medicine which is unique both because it involves at least two patients and due to the singular nature and reproductive potential of ex-utero and cryopreserved embryos and gametes. Through an examination of largely US judicial and statutory perspectives and trends, the article assesses the complexities of the impact of the law on, and attempts to offers guidance to, those involved in this continually evolving and challenging field of medicine.