This is a guest post by Alice Dreger of Northwestern University Adrienne Asch, PhD, director of the Center for Ethics at Yeshiva University, died on November 19, of cancer. Adrienne was a pillar of American bioethics, the scholar to whom … Continue reading →

The deadline for submission for this issue is September 1, 2015. Laura Purdy and Wendy Lynne Lee “Which questions moral philosophers choose to study—and choose not to study—is itself a moral issue,” wrote Virginia Warren in her groundbreaking 1979 article. … Continue reading →

“Penn State Administrators Target Women Employees” From the Centre Daily Times: “Under Penn State’s new employee wellness program, a health risk assessment questionnaire asks female employees if they plan to get pregnant in the next year. If the employee doesn’t want … Continue reading →

If you are looking to be inspired or uplifted by today’s post….Well, let’s just say these two stories might not be what you are seeking.  Instead of offering an analysis, I will just say this: With respect to the twenty-six … Continue reading →

Christine Overall insists that the well-being of children born of “surrogacy” arrangements should be of paramount importance and, most certainly, should take precedence over the wants of prospective parents. This commentary was initially posted on July 18, 2013 on the Impact Ethics blog and is reposted here with permission of the author. Visit impactethics.ca

“Surrogacy” is not illegal in Canada; paying or offering payment to a “surrogate” mother is. According to Section 6 (1) of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHCR Act), “No person shall pay consideration to a female person to be a surrogate mother, offer to pay such consideration or advertise that it will be paid.” This prohibition notwithstanding, the plan is to permit reimbursement for legitimate (receipted) expenses. Section 12 (1) of the AHR Act stipulates, “No person shall, except in accordance with the regulations, … (c) reimburse a surrogate mother for an expenditure incurred by her in relation to her surrogacy.” As the relevant regulations have not been crafted, this exception to the legal prohibition is not yet in force. Meanwhile, there are many media reports of cases of paid and altruistic “surrogacy” in Canada (click here for more information).

A message from FAB Co-Coordinator Jackie Leach Scully: Since 1996 the International Network on Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (FAB) has held a biannual World Congress, and next year sees us gathering in Mexico City from 22-24 June 2014. This runs … Continue reading →