TY - JOUR T1 - Bioethics for clinicians: 26. Assisted reproductive technologies JF - Canadian Medical Association Journal JO - CMAJ SP - 1589 LP - 1594 VL - 164 IS - 11 AU - Laura Shanner AU - Jeffrey Nisker Y1 - 2001/05/29 UR - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/164/11/1589.abstract N2 - ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES (ARTs) can be very helpful for certain patients, but ethical concerns have been raised about the inherent nature of specific techniques and the contexts in which many techniques are used. Physicians play important roles in supporting those who wish to become parents and in educating patients about impediments to fertilization and ways to promote conception. We discuss various ethical issues surrounding ARTs, including family relationships, informed choice, gender issues, embryo status and the commercialization of reproduction, as well as legal and policy issues. We examine the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of ARTs and suggest ways to approach ARTs in practice. ER -