9/29 Reproductive Ethics

reproductive ethics

the study of ethical issues related to reproduction, including reproductive med + tech

True or False: Reproduction poses many important questions for bioethics, as health decisions at the beginning + end of life can be particularly fraught + shaped by our cultural, religious, + personal values

True

What types of questions does reproductive ethics ask?

who gets to be born?

how should we provide reproductive healthcare in an ethical way?

bodily autonomy

someone’s right to make choices about what happens to their own physical body without coercion; often at the heart of debates about abortion, as well as other topics like surrogacy + reproductive technologies

True or False: Bodily autonomy applies to everyone

True! A husband and wife may both have a legal claim to embryos they create together with individual gametes

Abortion

the use of medical means to terminate a pregnancy; an important ethical + legal issue

What are some questions to keep in mind with abortion ethics?

Should we allow it? and/or under what conditions?

Do we allow abortion up to a certain number of weeks in pregnancy?

Do we allow abortion if fetus is non-viable or has genetic condition?

Do we allow abortion only if the parent is at risk?

If we outlaw abortion, will people attempt abortions without safe medical oversight?

The Marlise Munoz Case (2013)

a woman in Texas was declared brain dead after embolism, 14 weeks pregnant

• bc she was pregnant, physicians kept her on life support to attempt to carry the fetus to term, as Texas law stated that even if a person had an advance directive/DNR, this would be overridden if they were pregnant

• her husband fought a legal battle to remove life support, + won the case bc legally, his wife was dead and the fetus would be non-viable (she was an EMT + said she wouldn’t want to be kept alive artificially)

• life support was removed + she died in 2014

Selective Reproduction

the intentional selection of future offspring

ex: genetic editing, abortion after amniocentesis, implanting certain embryos

What is an example case of selective reproduction?

Happens with diagnoses like Down syndrome in much of the world, causing tensions between reproductive freedom + disability justice

What is a slippery slope regarding selective reproduction?

Would it be ethical to select for embryos based on other qualities, such as biological s3x or physical appearance?

surrogacy

when a gestational parent carries a fetus for someone else

what are key ethical issues regarding surrogacy?

coercion and parentage

ethical issues about surrogate coercion

is it exploitative to pay someone to be a surrogate, especially given the risk to the gestational parent?

especially if the parents are wealthy and hiring a surrogate living in poverty?

or should surrogacy only be altruistic?

ethical issues about surrogate parentage

can the surrogate ultimately decide to keep the baby, even if it’s not biologically related to them, + they agreed to carry the fetus to term for someone else?

fertility preservation

what happens to frozen embryos that a couple ultimately decides not to implant?

can donate them to other couples, or to scientific research

fertility preservation

who “owns” embryos + can make decisions about their use?

• contract

• if no contract, usually in favor of no procreation

• exceptions if “last chance”

fertility preservation

question regarding children + infertility-causing treatments

can children undergoing treatments that would make them infertile (like chemotherapy) be offered fertility preservation options, or are they unable to make such choices?

reproductive ethics summary

many questions r centered around bodily autonomy + limits (such as abortion + surrogacy)

Discussion

selecting for a specifically disabled child, is it ethical?

lowk fucked up