Reproductive ethics is concerned with the ethics surrounding human reproduction and beginning-of-life issues such as contraception, assisted reproductive technologies (e.g., in vitro fertilization, zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ISCI), etc.), surrogacy, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Ethical issues specific to this field include among other concerns the introduction of technology into the reproductive process, distinctions between reproduction and procreation, the potential for abortifacient effects through the use of certain contraceptives, embryo & oocyte cryopreservation, embryo adoption & donation, uterus transplants, mitochondrial replacement/donation interventions; synthetic gametes, the exploitation and commodification of women for reproductive services (i.e., egg donation and surrogacy), and sex selection of embryos or fetuses.
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
- Michael Sleasman, “Bioethics Past, Present, and Future: Important Signposts in Human Dignity” (An overview of bioethics and the breadth of issues it encompasses).
- Paige Comstock Cunningham, “’Womb Transplant Babies’: A Preliminary Exploration of Recent Biomedical Advances.”
- Paige Comstock Cunningham, “Written Testimony on "Bioethics and Fetal Tissue" Submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives.”
- Paige Comstock Cunningham, “Baby-Making: The Fractured Fulfillment of Huxley's Brave New World, Part I and Part II.”
- Kirsten Riggan, “Regulation (or Lack Thereof) of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the U.S. and Abroad.”
- Video resources from our Academy of Fellow Consultations on “The Ethics & Theology of Synthetic Gametes,” and a lecture from Megan Best on being “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.”
- C. Ben Mitchell, “The Challenges of Infertility: A Biblical Framework for Responding Appropriately.”
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