Genetic Parents Research Articles

APPLICATION OF SURROGACY TECHNOLOGY BY FOREIGNERS IN UKRAINE (LEGAL CONFLICT).

The aim: To establish legal conflicts between the use of surrogacy technology by foreigners in Ukraine, to develop mechanisms to overcome them. Materials and methods: The study used a methodology that embodies an interdisciplinary approach that allows systematic analysis of theoretical and practical aspects of legal conflicts in the use of surrogacy technology by foreigners in Ukraine, as well as develop proposals for their elimination. Conclusions: It is proposed to adopt at the level of an international act unified approaches to determining the origin of a child born as a result of the use of surrogate motherhood technology to eliminate legal conflicts. The need to amend the legislation of Ukraine and the establishment of a ban on unilateral refusal from the surrogacy agreement after the embryo has been implemented is argued. Based on the analysis of judicial practice, it was established what problems may arise in the registration of paternity and maternity by foreign genetic parents in connection with the application of the surrogacy procedure by foreigners in Ukraine in cases where their native legislation does not permit or restricts surrogacy.

LEGAL REGULATION OF SURROGACY IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

The article is devoted to the study of the legal framework of surrogacy as a method of assisted reproductive technologies in the Republic of Belarus and the European Union countries. Based on the identified models of legal regulation of surrogacy, the European Union countries are divided into three groups. The specific features of regulation of traditional and gestational surrogacy, commercial and altruistic surrogacy contracts, legal status of surrogate mother and genetic parents, effects of presumptions of maternity and paternity, etc., are revealed within each group. The author notes the positive and negative aspects, identifies trends in the development of foreign legislation. The article provides an assessment of the effectiveness of the Belarusian legislation on surrogacy. The author formulates the proposals aimed at its further improvement.

The forgotten group of donor-conceived persons.

ABSTRACTA forgotten group of donor-conceived persons is those who believe that gamete donation is morally wrong and should be prohibited. Although they share the two main arguments with the anti-anonymity group, i.e. the psychological harm as a consequence of lacking the necessary information for identity construction, and the violation of a fundamental human right, namely the right to be cared for by one’s genetic parents, their voices are largely ignored in the debate. The anti-donation group also has a large part of the ideology of the family in common with the anti-anonymity group. The paper concludes that the anti-donation position should be accepted as an equivalent position. Moreover, given the similarities between the two positions, people who accept the claims of the anti-anonymity donor-conceived persons should explain why the claims of the anti-donation group should not be honoured.

Nature vs. Nurture: Disentangling the Influence of Inheritance, Incubation Temperature, and Post-Natal Care on Offspring Heart Rate and Metabolism in Zebra Finches.

A historic debate in biology is the question of nature vs. nurture. Although it is now known that most traits are a product of both heredity (“nature”) and the environment (“nurture”), these two driving forces of trait development are rarely examined together. In birds, one important aspect of the early developmental environment is egg incubation temperature. Small changes (<1°C) in incubation temperature can have large effects on a wide-array of offspring traits. One important trait is metabolism, because it is related to life-history traits and strategies, organismal performance, and energetic and behavioral strategies. Although it has been shown that embryonic and post-hatch metabolism are related to egg incubation temperature, little is known about how this may vary as a function of genetic differences or post-hatching environmental conditions. Here, we investigated this question in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We experimentally incubated eggs at two different temperatures: 37.5°C (control), which is optimal for this species and 36.3°C (low), which is suboptimal. We first measured embryonic heart rate as a proxy of embryonic metabolic rate. Then, at hatch, we cross-fostered nestlings to differentiate genetic and pre-hatching factors from post-hatching environmental conditions. When offspring were 30 days-old, we measured their resting metabolic rate (RMR; within the thermoneutral zone) and thermoregulatory metabolic rate (TMR; 12°C; birds must actively thermoregulate). We also measured RMR and TMR of all genetic and foster parents. We found that embryonic heart rate was greater in eggs incubated at the control temperature than those at the low temperature. Further, embryonic heart rate was positively related to genetic father RMR, suggesting that it is both heritable and affected by the pre-natal environment. In addition, we found that post-hatch metabolic rates were positively related to genetic parent metabolic rate, and interactively related to incubation temperature and foster mother metabolic rate. Altogether, this suggests that metabolism and the energetic cost of thermoregulation can be influenced by genetics, the pre-natal environment, and the post-natal environment. Our study sheds light on how environmental changes and parental care may affect avian physiology, as well as which traits may be susceptible to natural selection.

Protection of the rights of children born with surrogate mothers (contractual regulation)

In connection with the deterioration of reproductive health (women and men) or other reasons not related to the health of the couple, with the emergence of new methods of overcoming infertility, experts talked about the prospect of forming a fourth generation of human rights while preserving the reproductive health of the nation. One of the types of assisted reproductive technologies is surrogacy. Today, this species is very popular, which is used by married couples.&#x0D; Statistics show that this method is usually used by foreign nationals (married couples), in whose countries either surrogacy is completely prohibited, or this method is expensive, or in order to hide the delivery and birth of another child. Therefore, Ukraine is the country where commercial surrogacy is allowed, the country where it takes place is available in financial terms and the subsequent procedure is minimized in time. Accordingly, it is these factors that attract foreign elements to choose a woman from Ukraine who carries and gives birth to a child on an equivalent basis.&#x0D; The basis of these legal relations are contractual legal relations, which relate to contracts aimed at providing services, namely medical services. Under the surrogacy agreement, the surrogate mother (performer) agrees that the embryo of the married couple (customer) will be implanted in her body and thus assumes the obligation to bear and give birth to a child, and the customer undertakes to pay all agreed costs. Costs are divided into two types. These are: 1) costs associated with the normal course of pregnancy (proper nutrition, accommodation, treatment, medical examination, medical tests, etc.) and 2) costs associated with the remuneration of the surrogate mother (performer) for proper performance of her duties. related to the proper delivery and birth of a child. All this must be spelled out in detail in the contract so that in the future there are no unnecessary problems. Thus, with the consent of the woman to become a surrogate mother, from that moment on she is entrusted exclusively with the responsibilities set out in the contract and which she must perform properly. If the surrogate mother will perform her duties improperly, she will not receive the remuneration specified in the terms of the contract. As for the customer (married couple), they have a single obligation to pay all the stipulated costs. However, it is also worth noting the obligation of genetic parents to give birth to a child and to protect children born to surrogate mothers who have been abandoned by their genetic parents (or have not come to pick them up in the country where they were born). In this aspect, the protection of the rights of children born to surrogate mothers needs scientific and practical attention, defining not only the responsibilities of such mothers but also in certain cases and rights, as well as certain additional responsibilities imposed on genetic parents (customers ) regarding the material maintenance of the child from which they refused for certain or unspecified reasons.&#x0D;

Paternal transmission of migration knowledge in a long-distance bird migrant

While advances in biologging have revealed many spectacular animal migrations, it remains poorly understood how young animals learn to migrate. Even in social species, it is unclear how migratory skills are transmitted from one generation to another and what implications this may have. Here we show that in Caspian terns Hydroprogne caspia family groups, genetic and foster male parents carry the main responsibility for migrating with young. During migration, young birds stayed close to an adult at all times, with the bond dissipating on the wintering grounds. Solo-migrating adults migrated faster than did adults accompanying young. Four young that lost contact with their parent at an early stage of migration all died. During their first solo migration, subadult terns remained faithful to routes they took with their parents as young. Our results provide evidence for cultural inheritance of migration knowledge in a long-distance bird migrant and show that sex-biased (allo)parental care en route shapes migration through social learning.

Правові засади управління процесами надання медичних послуг із допоміжних репродуктивних технологій в Україні

Проаналізовано чинні нормативно-правові акти, які становлять законодавче підґрунтя надання медичних послуг із допоміжних репродуктивних технологій в Україні різної юридичної сили, виявлено прогалини регламентації, перспективні напрями для розвитку галузі. Визначено та досліджено міжнародний, національний і відомчий рівні регулювання надання медичних послуг у цій сфері. Встановлено, що державна політика у сфері охорони репродуктивного здоров’я населення виходить за межі компетенції винятково сфери охорони здоров’я і набуває ознак першочергових завдань національної політики. Завдяки аналізу п’яти законопроектів, які мають регулювати надання медичних послуг у цій сфері, визначено основні тенденції розвитку державної політики, такі як лібералізація законодавства, розширення спектру послуг, розширення джерел фінансування тощо.

Genetic and Social Transmission of Parental Sex Roles in Zebra Finch Families

Parental care plays a central, reinforcing role in the evolution of sex roles and its development is often reported to be driven by genetic, rather than environmental effects. Based on these studies, however, genetic inheritance does not account fully for the often-significant phenotypic variability observed within species, a variation that we hypothesized may be explained by social effects from parents. Following a full cross-fostering design, here we aimed at disentangling genetic and social parental effects in the ontogeny of parental behaviours. Clutches of eggs were swapped, and we monitored parental behaviours in two consecutive generations of a captive population of the socially monogamous, biparental zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Using nest box cameras, parental behaviour was recorded for 3 h in two reproductive stages: on day 8 of incubation and day 10 post-hatching. These fostered birds, after becoming fully matured, received a pair randomly and we observed parental care of this second generation too, following the same protocol. We then compared various parental behaviours (such as time spent incubating, or number of nest attendances during offspring provisioning) in the second generation to those of their genetic and social parents. Based on the results of our experiment, both genetic and social effects can contribute to intergenerational transmission of specific parental behaviours, with various weights. However, the strongest and most consistent effect that we found is that of the current mate; a social effect that can manifest both in negative and positive directions, depending on the behavioural trait. Our study suggests context-specific and sexually different genetic, social and non-social environmental effects in the ontogeny of parental sex roles and outline the importance of parental negotiation in explaining individual variation of parental behaviour in biparental species.

СУРРОГАТНОЕ МАТЕРИНСТВО &amp; ТОРГОВЛЯ ЛЮДЬМИ: МЕЖОТРАСЛЕВОЙ КОНФЛИКТ

Introduction: the article discusses the challenging problem of the interbranch conflict between the legal institution of surrogacy and a criminally punishable act – human trafficking. The normative minimalism of regulatory legislation, the lack of understanding of the essence of surrogacy as a legal institution, insufficient understanding of the legal essence of the contract for child bearing and birth, are the factors that necessitate defining the boundaries of what is permissible through drawing a distinction between the application of surrogacy technology and the crime mentioned. Resolution of this issue is of particular importance for ensuring legal certainty that would exclude both abusive practices in legal relations involving surrogate motherhood and unlawful prosecution against the participants in these relations. Purpose: to create a conceptual framework for the interbranch relationship between the institution of surrogacy and the criminal law prohibition of human trafficking. Methods: empirical methods of comparison, description, interpretation; theoretical methods of formal and dialectical logic; special scientific methods: legal-dogmatic and the method of interpretation of legal norms. Results: the research into interbranch interaction of the institutions in question showed that the root cause of contradictions in the practice of applying the norms under study is the lack of a uniform systemic approach, both at the international and domestic level, to determining the legal boundaries of surrogacy technology and to the protection of relations generated by this technology by the norms on human trafficking. Conclusions: we have formulated doctrinal definitions of the institution of surrogate motherhood and the contract for child bearing and birth, which is interpreted as an interbranch contract; identified the legal nature of the surrogate mother’s consent to record the potential (genetic) parents in relation to the child born by her; described the specific nature of contractual structures included in the subject area of surrogate motherhood, with the identification of defects that transfer private-law relations regulated by them into the field of criminal law; formulated recommendations on the application of Article 127.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. At present, there are no means in international law to resolve the conflict between legal surrogacy and human trafficking; the transnational nature of the phenomena under study dictates the need for the development of such means.

The problem of transferring a child to genetic parents when using surrogate motherhood

The problem of transferring a child to genetic parents when using surrogate motherhood

Clinical Investigation of Chromosome Karyotype Analysis with Amniotic Fluids Cell and Parental Peripheral Blood.

Chromosome is the carrier of genetic material. Chromosome aberrations will lead to the increase or loss of genetic material, which is an important factor for early miscarriages and birth defects of newborn. Prenatal diagnosis is one of the effective approaches to find fetus with early genetic abnormalities. A retrospective analysis of chromosome karyotype abnormality studies of 45 pregnant women with indications of amniocentesis, referred to Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, Fujian Province, Putian, China in 2015 - 2019, was performed. Among those, 45 cases of amniotic fluid specimens were cultured. Furthermore, their parents' chromosome karyotypes in peripheral blood were examined. Among these 45 abnormal karyotypes, balanced translocation was seen in 19 cases, including 17 cases of the genetic parents and 2 newly developed. There were 2 cases of unbalanced translocation, all of which were inherited from the father. Aneuploidy was seen in 3 cases of abnormal autosome number and 1 case of number anomalies of gender chromosomes. Polymorphism (15 cases) were all inherited from the parents, most of which were inv(9) and inv(Y) polymorphism. The abnormal karyotype of amniotic fluid cells was found by amniocentesis. The parents should be called back for the karyotype examination of peripheral blood to determine the source of the abnormal karyotype, and provide guidance for clinical genetic consultation and intervention, which is of great practical significance to improve the birth rate and reduce birth defects.

VOLODYMYR FRANKOVYCH STAKHOVSKYI – RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY IN ANIMAL REPRODUCTION

VOLODYMYR FRANKOVYCH STAKHOVSKYI – RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY IN ANIMAL REPRODUCTION

Differential relationships between parent-child DXA and pQCT bone measures: Results from the Southampton Women's Survey.

To investigate the associations between indices of bone health in childhood and corresponding parental measures. The Southampton Women's Survey characterised 12,583 non-pregnant women aged 20-34years; 3158 subsequently had singleton live births. In a subset, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements of bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) lumbar spine and total hip were obtained in the parent/offspring (aged 8-9years) trios. Another subset of children (aged 6-7years), and their parents, had peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT; 4% and 38% tibia) measures. Using multivariable linear regression we examined relationships between mother/father and offspring, adjusting for parental age, habitual walking speed and education; offspring age and sex; and the corresponding bone measure in the other parent (β-coefficients (95%CI) unit/unit for each bone measure). Data were available for 260 trios with DXA and 99 with pQCT. There were positive associations for BA, BMC and aBMD between either parent and offspring. Mother-child associations were of greater magnitude than father-child; for example, mother-child aBMD (β=0.26g·cm-2/g·cm-2 (0.21,0.32)) and father-child aBMD (β=0.16g·cm-2/g·cm-2 (0.11,0.21)), P-difference in β=0.007. In the subset with pQCT there was a positive association for mother-offspring 4% tibial total area (β=0.33mm2/mm2 (0.17,0.48)), but little evidence of a father-offspring association (β=-0.06mm2/mm2 (-0.17,0.06)). In contrast offspring 38% cortical density was more strongly associated with this measure in fathers (β=0.48mg·cm-3/mg·cm-3 (0.15,0.82)) than mothers (β=0.27mg·cm-3/mg·cm-3 (-0.03,0.56)). In general mother-father differences were attenuated by adjustment for height. Whilst offspring bone measures are independently associated with those of either parent, the magnitude of the association is often greater for maternal than paternal relationships. These findings are consistent with an in utero influence on offspring growth but might also reflect genetic and/or epigenetic parent of origin effects. In an established parent-offspring cohort, associations between parent and offspring bone indices were generally greater in magnitude for mother-offspring than father-offspring relationships.

Importance of melanin‐based colouration and environment in shaping intracellular glutathione levels in nestling and adult tawny owls Strix aluco

Resources allocated in reproduction are traded off against those invested in self‐maintenance such as antioxidant response. Glutathione (GSH) is an intracellular antioxidant defence that scavenges reactive oxygen species, the deleterious byproducts of oxygen consumption. Given the role of intracellular GSH in pheomelanogenesis, a trade‐off in GSH allocation between resistance in oxidative stress and melanin production may take place. To investigate how intracellular GSH is regulated in differently coloured individuals at the time of reproduction (in adults) and of intense melanogenesis (in nestlings), we measured the total pool of GSH produced (tGSH), consumed (oxGSH) and available (redGSH) in adult tawny owls and their offspring which were cross‐fostered between randomly chosen nests. Our goal was to describe potential correlations between resistance in oxidative stress and colour morphs in natural conditions. Nestling GSH levels were correlated with GSH levels in their genetic and foster parents suggesting that producing GSH is genetically and environmentally determined (although the effect of the foster nest seemed stronger). This species shows continuous variation in pheomelanin reddish colouration, which is associated with life‐history strategies. Based on the hypothesis of GSH dependence of pheomelanism, we expected a greater amount of oxGSH in dark compared to light pheomelanic nestlings, which was not the case. In contrast, light melanic breeding adults had higher levels of tGSH and redGSH than dark breeders probably because of a higher investment in antioxidant capacity. The link between pheomelanism and GSH may therefore be due to the fact that differently colored individuals have different life‐history strategies rather than because the production of pheomelanin pigments requires GSH.

Elicitation of children's understanding of information in pediatric genetic counseling encounters: A discourse-oriented perspective.

Affirmation of children's understanding of information provided in genetic counseling encounters is crucial to obtaining children's informed consent/assent in pediatric genetic counseling encounters. It is also important for the proper management of a genetic condition. Currently, there is a relative scarcity of research on how understanding of complex genetic information by children is elicited in the process of pediatric genetic counseling. In this study, we apply theme-oriented discourse analysis to examine 23 video/audio-recorded genetic counseling encounters in Hong Kong. The encounters involve children aged between 3 and 17years old who are suspected to have or diagnosed with Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). Specifically, we examine a range of communicative strategies that genetic professionals employ to elicit children's understanding of information in this genetic counseling setting. We also examine how children's epistemic status is negotiated between genetic professionals, parents, and children. The study reveals that genetic professionals typically use direct questioning (e.g., "do you understand?" or "do you have any questions?"). Less typical are examples where genetic professionals explore children's epistemic access and invite children to recall information after they deliver it. The study reveals two discourse strategies that genetic professionals and parents employ to justify a child's low epistemic status: (1) construction of "current ignorance" and "future competence" in children and (2) association with a child's character. In the examined counseling encounters, genetic professionals and parents tend to construct a low epistemic status in younger children and allocate the responsibility for understanding relevant information to the parents and the "future" competent children. The study highlights the impact of genetic professionals' and parents' assumptions on children's knowledge and comprehensibility at different ages, and the role that children themselves play in conforming or contesting these assumptions.

Opinion of health professionals about legal issues of surrogacy

Abstract The study summarizes opinions of 7504 representatives of the medical community on organizational issues of surrogacy programs, rights, and responsibilities of their participants. Although Russian lawyers are yet to consolidate in developing the surrogacy legal framework, health professionals think that legal aspects are crucial. Almost all health professionals believe that surrogate mothers and contracting parents should be offered a lawyer before making a decision on surrogacy to explain the rights, obligations and responsibilities (92.6%). The majority consider that surrogacy can be used by couples in which a woman cannot give birth for medical reasons (81.0%) and that the surrogate mother should have the right to psychological support after the childbirth and weaning (87.8%). One-fifth of the respondents have no definite opinion on the remaining issues. The majority of the respondents believe that surrogacy should not be funded by the state and genetic parents have to pay for surrogacy; Russia should allow altruistic surrogacy (assistance to friends or relatives); and priority rights for a newborn are held by contracting parents-customers: the contracting parents have the right to request prenatal diagnostics during pregnancy and abortion in case of the detected pathology. Health professionals are hesitant to determine whether the surrogate mother can renegotiate the contract and choose an abortion. Unlike lawyers, health professionals consider it possible for single men to use surrogacy. According to the respondents, during pregnancy and childhood, decisions regarding lifestyle, hospitalization and methods of delivery should be made only in conjunction with specialists from the medical organization that signed the contract. Significant variations by region in the response structure suggest that socio-economic differences, diversities in culture and traditions in these issues have a greater impact on the opinion about surrogacy rather than professional experience. Key messages Unlike lawyers, health professionals consider it possible for single men to use surrogacy technology. The majority of the respondents consider that surrogacy can be used by couples in which a woman cannot give birth to a child for medical reasons.

Interplay between genetic risk and the parent environment in adolescence and substance use in young adulthood: A TRAILS study.

Many adolescents start using tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis. Genetic vulnerability, parent characteristics in young adolescence, and interaction (GxE) and correlation (rGE) between these factors could contribute to the development of substance use. Using prospective data from the TRacking Adolescent Individuals' Lives Survey (TRAILS; N = 1,645), we model latent parent characteristics in young adolescence to predict young adult substance use. Polygenic scores (PGS) are created based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for smoking, alcohol use, and cannabis use. Using structural equation modeling we model the direct, GxE, and rGE effects of parent factors and PGS on young adult smoking, alcohol use, and cannabis initiation. The PGS, parental involvement, parental substance use, and parent-child relationship quality predicted smoking. There was GxE such that the PGS amplified the effect of parental substance use on smoking. There was rGE between all parent factors and the smoking PGS. Alcohol use was not predicted by genetic or parent factors, nor by interplay. Cannabis initiation was predicted by the PGS and parental substance use, but there was no GxE or rGE. Genetic risk and parent factors are important predictors of substance use and show GxE and rGE in smoking. These findings can act as a starting point for identifying people at risk.

On the property responsibility of genetic parents under the surrogacy agreement: experience of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan

The object of this research is the institution of property responsibility of genetic parents under the surrogacy agreement established in legislation of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan, as well as the problematic of practical implementation of the surrogacy agreement. The subject of this research is the legislative norms that regulate the procedure of bringing genetic parents under the surrogacy agreement to property responsibility in the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan; corresponding materials of law enforcement practice; statistical data and reports published in the official mass media. The scientific novelty of consists in analysis of the problems of property responsibility of genetic parents under the surrogacy agreement, which was concluded in the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan. The main research results lies in the development of the original pointwise proposals on the long-term solution to these issues (it is worth noting that such proposals have not been previously expressed in the context of legal experience of the Republic of Tajikistan).

Surrogacy and HIV: features of a clinical case in comorbid cancer

Introduction. A significant increase in the quality and increase in the life expectancy of HIV patients during treatment with antiretroviral drugs necessitates the implementation of the reproductive function in these patients. The participation of a surrogate mother in the treatment of infertility in HIV-infected potential parents, vided by the Russian legislation, requires additional solutions to a number of clinical and organizational problems. The aim was to substantiate a surrogacy program as a method of choice for the treatment of infertility in patients with HIV-positive status and comorbid cancer and also a multidisciplinary approach to organizing it on the example of a specific clinical situation and based on the analysis literature data.Materials. We report a case of using a surrogacy program for a married couple with a positive HIV status in the 4th stage of the disease using the husband's sperm and donor oocytes. The use of donor oocytes in this situation is due to the onset of menopause against the background of a comorbid severe cancer that required multiple courses of chemotherapy.Conclusion. Potential biological parents with a positive HIV status in stage 4 of the disease may have a comorbid oncological pathology, which in itself, as well as its treatment, contributes to a decrease in fertility, and for the future biological mother, it is an obstacle to independently carrying a pregnancy. In this regard, the surrogacy program is the method of choice for the treatment of infertility in this clinical situation. It is advisable for obstetricians-gynecologists (reproductologists) to inform the surrogate mother about the potential risks of infection with the participation of genetic parents with HIV-positive status at various stages of IVF and about preventive measures during gestation in conjunction with the infectious disease specialist of the regional centers for the prevention and control of AIDS.

Genetic parenthood and hard cases.

In a recent article Thomas Douglas and Katrien Devolder propose a theory of genetic parenthood according to which a human child can have only two genetic human parents. I argue this theory is arbitrarily narrow and fails to account for cases such as hybrids, cloning, chimerism, twinning, parthenogenesis, mitochondrial replacement techniques, and more. I propose an alternate theory of genetic parenthood, one that is prima facie consistent with our commonsense intuitions about genetic parenthood and relevant to a right to procreative autonomy.