ABSTRACT
New techniques have given hope to infertile couples who would previously have had to adopt. They may commission an embryo produced by others’ gametes or they may be able to produce a child which is genetically related to at least one partner and possibly to both. Obviously some of these methods involve the help of a surrogate mother. Donating our gametes is in part analogous to donating our blood; both donations may be contrasted with donating a hand—we are not free to do this, for it is illegal to mutilate oneself or others. Edgar Page proposes a legal solution to the problem of rights based on his view that gametes are negotiable goods in that they can be freely donated by those who produce them and that, once donated, ownership is transferred absolutely to the donee(s) so that donors cease to have any rights or obligations.
