A Need to Know Basis: Record Keeping, Information Access, and the Uniform Status of Children of Assisted Conception Act

Authors

Amy Shelf

Abstract

This note examines the delicate legal issues surrounding recent medical advances in reproductive technology, which have dramatically transformed the way humans reproduce. The ability to manipulate fertility raises difficult ethical issues, particularly when embryo and gametes donors choose to remain anonymous. The note addresses the current legal system's unsuccessful attempts at dealing with requests for information made by the offspring created through these new methods. The author analyzes the Uniform Status of Children of Assisted Conception Act, and, while agreeing with the Act's goal of putting the rights of children to the fore, also notes its failure to address record-keeping concerns. The author suggests ways to augment the Act through the incorporation of alternative provisions addressing secrecy and the release of identifying information.

Recommended Citation

Amy Shelf, A Need to Know Basis: Record Keeping, Information Access, and the Uniform Status of Children of Assisted Conception Act, 51 Hastings L.J. 1047 (2000).
Available at: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_law_journal/vol51/iss5/5