Posthumous sperm retrieval (PSR) is a procedure in which spermatozoa are collected from the testes of a human corpse after brain death. There has been significant debate over the ethics and legality of the procedure, and on the legal rights of the child and surviving parent if the gametes are used for impregnation.[1]
Cases of post-mortem conception have occurred ever since human artificial insemination techniques were devised, via sperm donation to a sperm bank after the death of the donor. While religious objections have been made even under these circumstances, far more censure has arisen regarding invasive retrieval from fresh cadavers or patients either on life support or in a persistent vegetative state, particularly when the procedure is carried out without explicit consent from the donor.