Ethics and regulation of inter-country medically assisted reproduction:A call for action

The proliferation of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) for the treatment of infertility has brought benefit to many individuals around the world. But infertility and its treatment continue to be a cause of suffering, and over the past decade, there has been a steady growth in a new global market of inter-country medically assisted reproduction (IMAR) involving 'third-party' individuals acting as surrogate mothers and gamete donors in reproductive collaborations for the benefit of other individuals and couples who wish to have children. At the same time there is evidence of a double standard of care for third-party women involved in IMAR, violations of human rights of children and women, and extreme abuses that are tantamount to reproductive trafficking. This paper is the report of an inter-disciplinary working group of experts who convened in Israel to discuss the complex issues of IMAR. In Israel too IMAR practices have grown rapidly in recent years, mainly because of restrictions on access to domestic surrogacy for same sex couples and a chronically insufficient supply of egg cells for the treatment of couples and singles in need. Drawing upon local expertise, the paper describes documented practices that are harmful, suggests principles of good practice based on an ethic of care, and calls for action at the international, national and professional levels to establish a human rights based system of international governance for IMAR based on three regulatory models: public health monitoring, inter-country adoption, and trafficking in human beings, organs and tissues.</p

Minnesota Philosophical Society Fall 2014 Conference (2014-10-04)

Whether you're an expert or simply an enthusiast, you are welcome to attend the following Minnesota Philosophical Society events, including a talk by Dr. William Lycan, noted philosopher. William Lycan teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor. He is the author of eight books and over 150 articles.Keynote Speech:"The Intentionality of Smell" Argues against opponents that smell does represent. Then defends my 1996 view of what smell represents, viz., miasmas in the air, against more recent competitors put forward by Clare Batty and Ben Young. Concludes by considering a "layering" thesis: that smell represents commonsensical distal objects and kinds by representing miasmas.UMD Philosophy Department, The CLA Dean’s Excellence Fund, and the Minnesota Philosophical Societ