Mapping French people’s views regarding posthumous reproduction

Abstract

Objective: The study mapped French people’s views regarding the acceptability of posthumous reproduction.Background: Posthumous reproduction – the use of a deceased person’s gametes for procreative purposes –is a controversial procedure because it involves a series of ethical issues, namely the surviving partner’s rights to procreation, the emotional feelings and financial interests of other family members, and the government’s interest in maintaining orderly inheritance rules.Methods: A convenience sample of participants aged 19–68 (104 lay people, 47 health professionals and 15 lawyers) were presented with 48 realistic stories that were composed according to a four-factor within-subject design: marital status (married for about 10 years with children, married for about three years without children, and cohabiting for three years without children) × attitude of the deceased’s parents (favourable vs. unfavourable to posthumous procreation) × time elapsed since the partner’s death (three months vs. nine months) × deceased’s wishes (written consent, oral consent given in front of credible witnesses, unknown wishes, and unfavourable attitude).Results: Through cluster analysis, four qualitatively different positions were found. They were called Never Acceptable (35% of the sample, mostly health professionals, lawyers and regular attendees to the church or temple), Tolerable in a Few Cases (28%), Depends on Deceased’s Wishes (22%, mostly lay people) and Quite Acceptable (16%, mostly lay people).Conclusions: About half of French lay people view the current legislation regarding posthumous assisted reproduction in a country such as the UK as more appropriate than the French legislation.