Equal Access to Parenthood and the Imperfect Duty to Benefit

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/pom.2023.151

Keywords:

Procreation, Parenthood, Infertility, Healthcare systems, ART, Procreative rights, Reproduction, Assisted reproductive technologies, Assisted reproduction, Involuntary childlessness

Abstract

Should involuntarily childless people have the same opportunities to access parenthood as those who are not involuntarily childless? In the context of assisted reproductive technologies, affirmative answers to this question are often cashed out in terms of positive rights, including rights to third-party reproduction. In this paper, we critically explore the scope and extent to which any such right would hold up morally. Ultimately, we argue for a departure away from positive parental rights. Instead, we argue that the state has an imperfect duty to benefit involuntarily childless people in relation to their parental aspirations.

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Published

2023-08-03

How to Cite

Lee, J., & Di Nucci, E. (2023). Equal Access to Parenthood and the Imperfect Duty to Benefit. Philosophy of Medicine, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.5195/pom.2023.151

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