Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (2021). Access to fertility services by transgender and nonbinary persons: an Ethics Committee opinion. Fertility and sterility. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.01.049
Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Access to fertility services by transgender and nonbinary persons: an Ethics Committee opinion. Fertility and sterility. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.01.049
Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. "Access to fertility services by transgender and nonbinary persons: an Ethics Committee opinion." Fertility and sterility, 2021.
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RRM Academy Synopsis
Transgender status alone should not bar fertility care, ASRM says
In a 2021 ethics opinion, the ASRM Ethics Committee holds that being transgender should not, by itself, keep anyone from fertility services. It drew on research and medical society policy.
Study at a glance, ethics opinion: ASRM says being transgender should not, by itself, bar fertility services. Source: Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2021, PMID 33632473.
Key Findings
The Committee concludes that transgender identity or status alone "should not bar" a person from fertility preservation and assisted reproductive services.
The Committee holds that these services should go to all interested transgender or nonbinary people, unless other factors disqualify them. Decisions should follow empirical evidence and avoid stereotypes or bias.
The Committee holds that a clinician's freedom to choose whom to treat gives way to a "greater ethical obligation" to regard everyone equally, and in some jurisdictions a legal duty.
The Committee advises counseling about fertility preservation before gender transition, and information on medical risks and the "limited but reassuring" long-term data for patients and their children.
On child welfare, the Committee finds the limited available data do not support the concern that a transgender parent will necessarily produce psychopathology, identity disturbance, or impaired functioning in a child.
Interpretation
This is a 2021 ASRM Ethics Committee opinion that weighs values, research, and policy. The authors note that studies on parenting outcomes are few, and most involve parents who had children before transition. For children on puberty blockers who want fertility preservation, the Committee says to wait until the teen years to decide on surgery. The Committee calls for more research on medical risks and outcomes for parents and children.
RRM Context
RRM looks for the cause of infertility. The opinion is about access to fertility care. The opinion does not cover restorative care.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
Abstract
This statement explores the ethical considerations surrounding the provision of fertility services to transgender individuals and concludes that the denial of access to fertility services is not justified.
Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2015
Ethics and Policy › Reproductive Ethics › LGBTQ Rights
Sigal Klipstein, Ricardo Azziz, Katherine Cameron, Lee Collins, Christos Coutifaris, Judith Daar, Joseph Davis, Ruth Farrell, Elizabeth Ginsburg, William Hurd, Mandy Katz-Jaffe, Jennifer Kawwass, Robert Rebar, Richard Reindollar, Ginny Ryan, Mary Samplaski, Mark Sauer, David Shalowitz, Chevis Shannon, Peter Schlegel, Sean Tipton, Lynn Westphal, Julianne Zweifel, 0000-0003-0284-2845
S Klipstein, R Azziz, Kathy Cameron, Kate Cameron, Katie Cameron, K Cameron, L Collins, C Coutifaris, J Daar, Joe Davis, Joey Davis, J Davis, R Farrell, Liz Ginsburg, Beth Ginsburg, Betsy Ginsburg, E Ginsburg, Bill Hurd, Will Hurd, Billy Hurd, W Hurd, M Katz-Jaffe, Jen Kawwass, Jenny Kawwass, J Kawwass, Bob Rebar, Rob Rebar, Bobby Rebar, R Rebar, Rick Reindollar, Dick Reindollar, Rich Reindollar, R Reindollar, G Ryan, M Samplaski, M Sauer, Dave Shalowitz, D Shalowitz, C Shannon, Pete Schlegel, P Schlegel, S Tipton, L Westphal, J Zweifel
PMID 33632473 33632473 DOI 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.01.049 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.01.049 Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine et al. 2021, Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 2021
