In an op-ed for Slate, Dr. Robert Klitzman says the Fox show "Almost Family" demonstrates one of the complicated ethical situations that has come about with the advances in reproductive technology.
In the show, an in vitro fertilization doctor illicitly fathers hundreds of people to unsuspecting mothers who seek sperm donations. The children discover their origins later in life, after running into one another in various social and dating scenarios. The show, believe it or not, is an amalgamation of various true stories.
"The characters in Almost Family present an exaggerated version of the new world we’re navigating, but they highlight the problems that, without additional data and required guidelines or regulation, are only going to worsen. Thousands of us and our friends and relatives were conceived by donors but don’t know it—yet," wrote Dr. Klitzman.
Read the full article on Slate and learn more about the M.S. in Bioethics at Columbia University.
