Using attitudinal indicators to explain the public's intention to have recourse to gamete donation and surrogacy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although the donation and receipt of gametes has become an integral part of infertility management, previous research in the field of social attitudes and intention to use medical technologies is limited. This study aimed to investigate attitudinal indicators and their potential relationship with the public's intention to have recourse to gamete donation and surrogacy. METHODS: A total of 365 individuals of reproductive age (49.3% men and 50.7% women) completed a questionnaire referring to their intention to receive or donate sperm/oocytes and their acceptance of becoming a commissioning couple or surrogate mother, and also to explore their attitudes towards gamete donation and surrogacy. Two attitudinal indicators emerged from the principal component analysis identifying (i) recipients' and donors' choice for anonymity, donors' renunciation of parental obligations and refusal of children's rights to know their biological parents and (ii) favourable attitudes towards legislative and financial measures to be adopted by the Government for the promotion of reproductive technologies. RESULTS: It was found that the indicator of 'Donors Anonymity and Refusal of Children's Rights' (DARCR) and the 'Legislative and Financial Support' (LFS) scale are positively associated with intention to have recourse to Gamete Donation and Surrogacy (GDS) (regression coefficients 0.31 and 1.08 respectively). Moreover, among the other variables used in the analysis only the 'church attendance' variable is negatively related with reported rates of intention to have recourse to GDS (P ⍧ 0.029), suggesting that the more religious respondents are less willing to use GDS. CONCLUSION: Social, legislative and financial implications provide a convenient rationale for adopting a favourable intention towards reproductive technologies. The findings of the present research should be given close consideration by policy makers and health education campaigns.

Identifying the Public?s Knowledge and Intention to Use Human Cloning in Greek Urban Areas

“…On the contrary, the participants who do not have offspring yet appear more willing to use HC for reproductive purposes. This finding seems in agreement with previous research in Greece about assisted reproductive technologies (8). Possibly it indicates that people without children are more in doubt about their biological capacity to become parents.…”

“…Hence the present study introduces new findings regarding religious identity and intentional behavior toward HC. It seems that people who follow the principles of Greek Christian Orthodox dogma seem hostile to new biotechnologies and particularly to HC (8). It is suggested therefore that the Greek Orthodox Ecclesia should encourage its laymen to recognize the possible benefits of cloning and to make a more realistic approach to cloning which would not be in contrast to their convictions.…”

“…Furthermore, only two original studies carried out in Greece, in the wider field of biotechnology, explored the public's intention to use biotechnology. Specifically, it has been found that the population tends to accept reproductive technologies (7) although the perceived level of the public's knowledge about assisted reproductive technologies was low (8).…”

“…Greece appears to lack political and legal experience in dealing with biotechnological matters (8,22).…”

Encuesta de opinión pública sobre reproducción humana y usos de tecnología de reproducción asistida en habitantes de Santiago, Chile

“…A pesar de la gran cantidad de niños nacidos mediante estos tratamientos médicos, existen pocos estudios que indaguen la percepción pública sobre estas tecnologías reproductivas. Las investigaciones suelen centrarse en las experiencias y opiniones de pacientes y profesionales de la salud 9-12 o de poblaciones específicas, como mujeres u hombres en edad reproductiva, mujeres infértiles, o estudiantes de psicología [13][14][15][16][17][18] . Asimismo, las encuestas realizadas tienden a centrarse en temas particulares, como la donación de gametos [19][20][21][22] o la gestación sustituta 14,23,24 .…”