title: An Evaluation of Iranian Judges' Decisions about The Act of Embryo Donation.
abstract: Embryo donation was one of the infertility treatment methods introduced to the Iranian legal system in 2003 (Act of Embryo Donation) and its by-law passed in 2005 after nu- merous discussions. Embryo donation is a new legal issue in Iran. No similar act has been previously legis- lated in the legal system; however, on the other hand, the importance of the judicial pro- cedure in its execution cannot be ignored since during this treatment process the infertile couples must refer to the court. In this paper, we analyzed 80 court decisions that concerned permission for embryo do- nation during 2006-2011. The decisions were made for couples who requested this treat- ment and referred to Avicenna Fertility Center (Tehran, Iran). In this study, we analyzed the decisions and regulations for the demands, in addition to the medical and legal view- points of the judges. The differences among the judges' decisions and in the ways of investigating were discussed.
authors.affiliation: Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milanifar
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Behjati Ardekani
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Mehdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Akhondi
keywords: Assisted Reproductive Technology; Embryo Donation; Iranian; Law