April 19, 2024

World first as Israel court allows egg extraction from deceased woman

An Israeli court has allowed the parents of a dead 17-year-old woman to remove her eggs for future use.
An
Israeli court has allowed the parents of a dead 17-year-old woman to remove her
eggs for future use. This is the first case of its kind in Israel, possibly the
first in the world. Hen Aida Ayish, was critically injured in a car accident a
fortnight ago. She was taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Sava, and a week later
doctors declared her brain-dead.

With
the consent of Ayish’s family her other organs saved the lives of four
patients. But the family’s second request was denied. Bizarrely, medical
personnel said that the family wanted the eggs to be fertilised with the sperm
of another dead body. This definitely would have been a world first: a baby
whose father and mother both died before she was even conceived. The hospital
declined.

Ayish’s
family did not explain why they sought the egg extraction. The court has only
allowed the extraction of the eggs, but their future is undecided. According to
guidelines issued by the attorney general in 2003, the use of sperm for a body
is only permissible when used to fertilised the widow of the deceased. Parents
who seek to use the sperm from a body must gain private permission in court. ~ Haaretz, Aug 7

World first as Israel court allows egg extraction from deceased woman
Jared Yee
Israel
IVF