Mehl, Dominique <br/><br/>
ART and the Contemporary Family 

 -  2011.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 54 
<br/><br/> Assisted reproduction technology initiates new configurations of family life. Sperm and egg donation and surrogate pregnancy are forms of parenthood that involve a third party. Donors of gametes and surrogate mothers participate alongside the legal parents in bringing children into the world who are born as a consequence of medical intervention. Bioethics laws strictly regulate these practices and forbid any third-party involvement in the parental dyad. Anonymous sperm donation erases the identity of the donor, while the ban on surrogate pregnancies prevents the emergence of an alternative maternal figure. However, the family model upon which artificial conception laws are based—the nuclear family—is becoming just one model among many others in a society where single-parent families, blended families of adopted children, and same-sex parents are all examples of scenarios involving at least one or more than two parents. The development of the ethical issues engendered by assisted reproductive technology invites reflection about multi-parent families.