In Fertility and Sterility, the journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Jones researchers wrote:

The investigators in our program felt it was more ethical for the donation to be that of gametes [eggs and sperm] and not embryos. When a donation occurs after a therapeutic IVF cycle, the embryos donated were originally intended to result in a pregnancy or pregnancies. However, when a donation of gametes is made, it is with the donor's consent that no pregnancy will occur with the embryos that are produced. In July of 1997, the Ethics Committee of the Jones Institute … discussed the 1994 findings of the American Fertility Society (AFS) Ethics Committee that were published on the justifications and limitations of research on human embryos. The AFS Ethics Committee recognized that certain research protocols might require the use of human embryos but that all gamete donors involved in such studies must be informed of the nature and purpose of the research and have specifically consented to such use. Based on this publication and consultations with members of the clergy, ethicists, and law professionals, the Jones Institute Ethics Committee agreed that the creation of embryos for research purposes was justifiable and that it was our duty to provide humankind with the best understanding of early human development.