Assisted human reproduction and informed consent : Procréation assistée et consentement éclairé

PROPOSED CONSENT REGULATIONS UNDER SECTION 8 OF THE ACT The stated purpose of the proposed regulations “is to specify the basic requirements necessary to activate the section 8 prohibitions under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act and, in so doing, help to protect the reproductive autonomy of donors of human reproductive material and in vitro embryos.”(17). [...] In addition, when an in vitro embryo is donated for the improvement of assisted human reproduction procedures or to provide instruction in such procedures, the donor of the human reproductive material is considered the donor for the purposes of certain provisions of the regulations. [...] These provisions deal with information that must be provided to the donor of the embryo before a valid consent is obtained; consent from the donor of the embryo regarding the potential uses; and withdrawal of consent by the donor of the embryo. [...] However, if the embryo is created using the reproductive material from one of the individuals in a couple, that individual becomes the donor of the embryo if, before the use of the embryo, that individual is no longer a spouse or common-law partner.