Judicial disposition of cryopreserved embryos after in vitro fertilization: a bioethical case report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57188/Keywords:
cryopreserved embryos; in vitro fertilization; informed consent; bioethics; case report.Abstract
Davis v. Davis is one of the earliest and most widely cited disputes concerning the disposition of cryopreserved preembryos after in vitro fertilization. The female patient had absolute tubal infertility after recurrent tubal pregnancies and loss of functional fallopian tubes. In December 1988, nine oocytes were retrieved, embryo transfer was performed without pregnancy, and seven preembryos remained cryopreserved. Before another transfer could occur, divorce proceedings began and disagreement arose about their disposition. The case was ultimately resolved in favor of not forcing procreation on the objecting progenitor. From a bioethical perspective, this case report highlights the need for prospective informed consent, written embryo-disposition agreements, and clinical deliberation that respects autonomy, nonmaleficence, justice, and human dignity.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Kathering Criz Retuerto Armas, Anthony Alexander Rosales Lujerio, Junior Santiago Rubio Poma, Allen Marshal Sanchez De La Cruz, Saldaña Horna Juan Alberto, Zharick Daniela Trujillo Villanueva, Rafael Roberto Beltran Osorio
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RICSA is an open access journal distributed under the terms and conditions of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
