{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T22:11:13Z","timestamp":1791411073824,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,4]],"date-time":"2022-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1667520000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,4]],"date-time":"2022-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1667520000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009566","name":"UiO:Life Science","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009566","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005366","name":"University of Oslo","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005366","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioethical Inquiry"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>In vitro fertilization (IVF) involves making embryos outside of the human body, which has spurred debate about the status of the embryo, embryo research and donation. We explore couples\u2019 perceptions about embryos and their thoughts and acceptability about various disposition decisions in Norway. Based on an ethnographic study including interviews and observations in an IVF clinic, we show that couples do not perceive their pre-implantation IVF embryos to be human lives; rather, they consider successful implantation the start of life. We suggest that this response indicates a change in the perception of the human embryo or the fertilised egg from<jats:italic>incipient life<\/jats:italic>\u2014a viewpoint that was dominant in the discussions of embryo research in the 1980s and 1990s. We also show how this view of the pre-implantation embryo elucidates why donating embryos to research appears acceptable but donating to other infertile couples seems rather difficult. Before transfer to a woman\u2019s uterus, the embryo exists in a liminality; it is not yet human life but a living cell with potential for both research<jats:italic>and<\/jats:italic>pregnancy. When an embryo is implanted and pregnancy is confirmed, human life activates; the embryo becomes potential kin, influencing couples\u2019 struggles with donating embryos to other couples.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s11673-022-10214-7","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,4]],"date-time":"2022-11-04T09:02:46Z","timestamp":1667552566000},"page":"571-585","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Kin or Research Material? Exploring IVF Couples\u2019 Perceptions about the Human Embryo and Implications for Disposition Decisions in Norway"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"B.","family":"Kvernflaten","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"P.","family":"Fedorcs\u00e1k","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"K. N.","family":"Solbr\u00e6kke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"10214_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781849208932","volume-title":"Doing ethnographic and observational research","author":"M Angrosino","year":"2007","unstructured":"Angrosino, M. 2007. Doing ethnographic and observational research. 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Approval was granted by the NSD - Norwegian Centre for Research Data.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval"}},{"value":"Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent to participate"}},{"value":"The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Conflict of interest"}}]}}