Review of International Research on Ethical and Psychological Barriers to Reproductive Donation

This review examines the international research literature discussing the barriers for those considering the possibility of becoming donating sperm, eggs, or embryos or becoming surrogate mothers. While there is a significant body of research on donors’ motivations, less attention is given to the reasons why potential donors decide not to donate or withdraw from donation procedures. Nevertheless, we have collected about 70 studies, including journal articles, book chapters and reports. Contemporary findings show that as much as there is no single motivation for reproductive donation, there is also no single barrier to it. The studies we considered deal with two salient themes. First, barriers to reproductive donation serve as a space for negotiation of a donor’s beliefs, fears and perceived consequences of donation to themselves, the recipients and resulting offspring. Second, these barriers are a complex web of intersecting factors, influenced by secondary factors. This review reveals the limited nature of our current knowledge of barriers to reproductive donation. Indeed, research on this problem needs to catch up with research on motivation because obstacles to reproductive donation are no less important than the stimuli.