Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2010 Oct;111(1):91-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.07.004. Epub 2010 Aug 11.
Judicial approaches to stored (cryopreserved) human embryos, in western jurisprudence, tend not to reflect approaches within systems of moral ordering or particular religious traditions, which differ among themselves. The emerging judicial approach is pragmatic, protecting individuals' rights of control and their interests in parenthood. Embryos are approached instrumentally, not by reference to any inherent characteristics that may be attributed to them outside the law. Political legislatures may adopt religious approaches, such as by prohibiting embryo preservation and limiting how many may be created in an IVF treatment cycle. Legislatures may alternatively set time limits on embryo preservation, however, on expiry of which they must be left to natural degeneration. In treating human embryos as property, courts recognize owners' powers of voluntary disposition, for instance by gift, but have held back from making financial assessments of their value, for instance on loss, consistently with legislation prohibiting their exchange for payment.
在西方法理学中，司法部门对冷冻（冷藏）人类胚胎的处理方式往往并不反映道德秩序体系或特定宗教传统内的处理方式，因为这些体系和传统彼此之间存在差异。新兴的司法处理方式是务实的，旨在保护个人的控制权和生育权。胚胎是作为工具被对待的，而不是根据法律之外可能归因于它们的任何内在特征。政治立法机构可能会采取宗教方式，例如禁止胚胎保存，并限制在体外受精治疗周期中可以创建的胚胎数量。立法机构也可以对胚胎保存设定时间限制，但是，一旦超过该时间限制，就必须任由其自然退化。在将人类胚胎视为财产的情况下，法院承认所有者的自愿处置权，例如通过赠与，但法院一直避免对其价值进行财务评估，例如在损失时，这与禁止以支付为代价进行胚胎交易的立法是一致的。
