The invention of the extended family of choice: the rise and fall (to date) of posthumous grandparenthood in Israel

Parents in various countries have contemplated having grandchildren from their deceased sons’ sperm; however, posthumous grandparenthood (PHG) has been permitted as a matter of policy only in Israel, leading to a significant body of litigation. Using document analysis of all published court cases involving PHG in Israel, this article is the first to explore this turbulent sociolegal debate, framing the rulings within family theory. In this context, we introduce a new notion, the ‘extended family of choice,’ created by parents after the death of a son in order to have grandchildren. We argue that PHG disrupts existing theoretical notions of the family, which are based largely on three continuums: traditional/postmodern; collective/individual; and nuclear/extended. Our findings demonstrate that Israeli courts have permitted parents to be extremely proactive and creative in pursuing PHG, the only limitations being an objection by the surviving partner, or the absence of one living biological parent

“Donating with eyes shut”: attitudes regarding DNA donation to a large-scale biobank in Israel

DNA collection raises ethical, legal, and social issues around privacy, consent, participatory science, benefits and risks, biodata governance, and, ultimately, trust. While there is a consensus that DNA biobanks’ success depends on public trust, more evidence is needed regarding the determinants, production, and preservation of such trust. We draw on 14 semi-structured interviews with participants – seven people who donated DNA to an Israeli biobank, and seven who refused to donate; as well as on two focus groups with members of the general public. Our findings call into question the relationship between trust/trustworthiness and donation, suggesting moral strategies termed by respondents as “donating with eyes shut.” We conclude by discussing how DNA donation is built on a mixture of attitudes combining criticism, optimism, resistance, and avoiding responsibility as a pragmatic solution to the unresolved conflicts in sharing one’s DNA

Comparing Germany and Israel regarding debates on policy-making at the beginning of life: PGD, NIPT and their paths of routinization

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec> <jats:title>Definition</jats:title> <jats:p>The routinization of prenatal diagnosis is the source of bioethical and policy debates regarding choice, autonomy, access, and protection. To understand these debates in the context of cultural diversity and moral pluralism, we compare Israel and Germany, focusing on two recent repro-genetic “hot spots” of such policy-making at the beginning of life: pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT), two cutting-edge repro-genetic technologies that are regulated and viewed very differently in Germany and Israel, reflecting different medicolegal policies as well as public and bioethical considerations.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Arguments</jats:title> <jats:p>First, we compare policy-making in the context of PGD for HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing, used to create sibling donors, approved in Israel under specific conditions while prohibited in Germany. Second, we compare policy-making in the context of NIPT, which came under fire in Germany, while in Israel there has been little public debate about it.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>Both countries justify their contrasting policies as reflecting a concern for the well-being and care of the embryo/child, thus highlighting different concepts of embryo/child protection, (relational) autonomy, family relations, and the impact of religion and history on the promotion/protection of life. We use the juxtaposition of PGD and NIPT to highlight some inconsistencies in policies concerning the protection of extra- and intra-corporeal embryos. We conclude by drawing on the comparison to show how national variations exist alongside co-evolution.</jats:p> </jats:sec&gt