ABSTRACT
The process of a medically supported pregnancy, beginning with hormonal stimulation and possibly ending with in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), has been the focus of many lectures and papers concerning the modern reproductive technology. As regards the decision-making process, however, the general concern was directed rather towards the professionals who must guarantee the free and informed consent of a couple to the medical procedure than to the couple’s perspective itself. With respect to the ethical aspects of decision-making the recourse to the patients’ autonomy as well as to die principle of beneficence seemed to be a sufficent basis for the counselling (Beauchamp and Childress 1994).
