Ethical considerations in newer reproductive technologies

Ethics is an essential dimension of newer reproductive technologies. In this rapidly evolving field, there is a need for an ethical framework to guide both clinical practice and research. In this article, we provide such a framework that incorporates ethical principles, professional virtues, and the concept of the fetus as a patient. We then apply this framework to an important current clinical issue: the number of embryos to be transferred during in vitro fertilization; in addition to an emerging research issue: gene transfer research on in vitro embryos. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.