Embryo Relinquishment for Family Building: How Should it be Conceptualised?

This article discusses two competing conceptualisations of the relinquishment of unused cryopreserved embryos for family building, as either ‘embryo donation’ or ‘embryo adoption’. The evidence on how embryo relinquishment is conceptualised, and the views, experiences, and perceptions of fertility patients with unused cryopreserved embryos, are examined by reviewing 41 English-language research papers published between 1995 and 2010 located by means of an extensive search of electronic databases and other sources. The article then formulates proposals for a multi-model approach to embryo relinquishment for family building that reflects individual choice and the diversity of contemporary cultures and communities and facilitates access to information about their genetic origins by individuals conceived as a result of embryo relinquishment.