No, They’re Mine: Who Owns the Embryos?
On 31 July 2022, Accredited Family Law Specialist and Page Provan Director Stephen Page presented a paper at the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand Conference about the ownership and use of embryos when a couple decides to break up.
The status of a human embryo in Australian law is unclear. Clearly, it is a physical object that is capable of being possessed and is possessed by someone who can make decisions about how to use it and, in particular, whether to, before it exists – to create it, then after it exists to store, use, transport, discard or donate it.
A continuing issue for couples whose relationship has broken down is who gets to decide the use of embryos.
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