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There is little research documenting the experience of surrogate mothers in Aotearoa New Zealand, and no published studies to date have asked surrogates about the significance of financial benefit or compensation for their moral decision-making. In this article, we draw on qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 20 traditional and gestational surrogates, 20 intended parents, and 46 experts in the field of assisted reproduction about their views and experiences of surrogacy both within the national boundaries of the New Zealand fertility clinic setting and offshore. While altruistic procurement of reproductive materials and services is legally mandated in New Zealand, compensation and payment is prohibited. To support our analysis, we draw on the concept of bio-intimacy to discuss the production and management of relational work involved in altruistic surrogacy arrangements. We conclude that the economic circumstances for surrogates, where compensation for direct and indirect costs is absent or insufficient, need to be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social scientists are increasingly attentive to the practical importance of research ethics and professional codes of conduct when undertaking studies with human participants, especially around sensitive topics. In New Zealand, the social and cultural context of research praxis is also shaped by institutional principles that ensure research participants feel safe, respected, and heard when participating in research, and that the knowledge outcomes of the research process will be disseminated and shared with relevant cultural groups. In this article, we present four case studies based on projects that discuss researcher positionality in relation to the ethical and emotional work involved in undertaking research on sensitive topics with individuals from vulnerable and marginal groups. In doing so, we foreground the importance of articulating and managing emotion in research on sensitive topics, and suggest measures to ensure the well-being of researchers engaged in studies of this kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aotearoa New Zealand has no unified regulatory system governing the ethical and legal issues that arise with surrogate pregnancy arrangements. Accordingly, legal scholars and moral philosophers have recently called for revision to parentage and payment around surrogacy. Several academics have additionally suggested making surrogate pregnancy arrangements enforceable under New Zealand law. This discussion combines empirical research with key informants and experts working in the field of assisted reproduction with interview data from surrogate mothers and ovarian egg donors about their experiences of donating reproductive materials and services. The aim of the article is to expand the conceptual toolkit of assisted human reproduction to better understand the donative acts of women who share their reproductive materials and services, and to critically examine calls to introduce a regulatory model that makes surrogacy enforceable in light of concerns about the relational complexities of these arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and objective: Living kidney donation accounts for approximately half of all kidney transplantation in many countries and is central to health policy focused on increasing organ supply. However, little examination of the economic consequences of living kidney donation has been undertaken from the perspective of donors themselves. This article documents living kidney donors’ views regarding recompense and payment for organ donation, based on their experience. Participants: Twenty‐five living kidney donors from New Zealand participated in this study. Methods: This qualitative study, based on thematic analysis, uses semi‐structured in‐depth interviews to examine the experiences of living kidney donors. Themes were organized around altruism and the ‘gift’, perceptions of shared corporeality and identity, and donor support. Results: Most participants agreed the donation process was costly in terms of time and money. Many incurred personal costs, and some experienced financial hardship. All the participants viewed financial hardship as a barrier to organ donation and favoured recompense for direct and indirect costs. Most did not support payment for organs, and none supported commercialization. Discussion and conclusions: The findings show that framing organ donation as a ‘gift’ can stymie discussion about reciprocity, remuneration and exchange, making talk about financial recompense difficult. Financial well‐being, nonetheless, has implications for the ability to care for self and others post‐operatively. We conclude that the economic consequences for living kidney donors in jurisdictions where recompense for direct and indirect costs is insufficient are unfair. Review of financial assistance for live organ donors is therefore recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The “gift of life” metaphor is used to promote organ donation where commercialization is prohibited. In this article, we explore how multiple parties involved in organ transfer procedures think of gift terminology by drawing on interview data with transplantation specialists, organ transplant recipients, living directed donors and living nondirected donors. The interviews took place across New Zealand between October 2008 and May 2012, in participants’ homes and hospital workplaces. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded manually, and thematically analyzed. Although gift language is often viewed as clear-cut, the gift trope has multiple meanings for different constituent and cultural groups, ranging from positive descriptors to obscuring and romanticizing the complexities of transplantation processes. To account for these multiple perspectives, we suggest new ethical models to capture the nuanced phenomenon of organ transfer in ways that recognize the full range of donation and reception experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living kidney donation is an alternative treatment option for end-stage renal failure. Prospective donors are protected from risk by counselling and assessment processes, to ensure they are fully informed about all the stages of donation. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 25 living kidney donors from across New Zealand, this article discusses donors' experience of the pre-donation screening process, donation workup coordination, psychological preparation, and post-operative follow-up care and support. In particular, the article examines donor perceptions of the informed consent process. The findings indicate that donors' experience of the consent process may be at odds with the New Zealand Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights 1996. Instead of a primary healthcare focus on the threshold elements of informed consent, this study indicates that more effort should be made to adequately inform donors and to clearly spell out each stage of the donation process to better meet donors' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing need for healthcare professionals to discuss fertility preservation options with trans and non-binary people before commencing medical transition as part of informed consent-based models of care. In this article, we adapt the Five-A framework of healthcare access to examine fertility preservation information and services. To do so, we present an analysis of data from Counting Ourselves , the first comprehensive national survey in Aotearoa New Zealand of trans and non-binary people's health and the first study exploring their access to cryopreservation information and services. Among 419 participants who had received gender-affirming hormones or surgery, 33.7% received information about options for fertility preservation and 15.8% accessed fertility preservation services. Findings from the study indicate the need for greater understanding of trans and non-binary people's desire for genetically related children, and what type of information and form of delivery would be most helpful to ensure equitable outcomes in relation to decision-making around fertility and future family-building.