Europe Rejects Surrogacy (Again)

ChelseaReproductive Technology, SurrogacyLeave a Comment

More good news from Europe: last month the Council of Europe’s Social Affairs and Health Committee voted against the draft report on surrogacy that proposed regulation of the practice rather than a full ban. This comes just three months after the European Parliament approved a resolution condemning all forms of surrogacy as “reproductive exploitation and use of the human body … Read More

The Feminist Case Against Surrogacy

ChelseaReproductive Technology, SurrogacyLeave a Comment

Robert Oscar Lopez, PhD interviews Kathleen Sloan, board member for the National Organization for Women and a regular consultant for the CBC: Human biotechnology creates strange bedfellows. Although Sloan is a committed abortion rights advocate, she has also lent her voice to campaigns opposing human cloning and, most recently, surrogacy and third party reproduction. Even pro-choice feminists agree that we … Read More

EU Condemns Surrogacy

ChelseaSurrogacyLeave a Comment

Woke up to some good news on Facebook this morning (for a change). Via the Center for Bioethics and Culture: We’ve just gotten word that the European Parliament has clearly condemned surrogacy, approving the following statement: “Condemns the practice of surrogacy, which undermines the human dignity of the woman since her body and its reproductive functions are used as a … Read More

Equality?

ChelseaEgg Harvesting, Family, Gay Marriage/Homosexuality, IVF, Reproductive Technology, SurrogacyLeave a Comment

A few weeks ago I posted a video of Millie Fontana, a donor-conceived daughter of lesbian mothers. In her speech, Fontana touched on the imbalance of “equality” in the LGBT debate. Indeed, “equality” is the buzz word for this debate. Marriage equality. Family equality. Of treating people with equal respect for who they are as human beings. But what about … Read More

Stop Surrogacy Now Launches

ChelseaSurrogacyLeave a Comment

From the Center for Bioethics and Culture: Stop Surrogacy Now brings together a worldwide, ethnically, religiously, and culturally diverse group opposed to the exploitation of women and the human trafficking of children through surrogacy. With support from 16 organizations and more than 100 individuals from 18 countries, Stop Surrogacy Now demands recognition that surrogacy exploits women (in many cases poor … Read More

Interview With a “Product of Surrogacy”

ChelseaSurrogacyLeave a Comment

Recently Jennifer Lahl sat down with Jessica Kern, a young woman who was born through a commercial surrogacy arrangement and who describes herself as “a product of surrogacy.” The Other Side of Surrogacy: Jennifer Lahl interviews Jessica Kern from CBC Network on Vimeo. Whatever you think about third party reproduction, it is important to give people like Jessica a fair … Read More

India, Surrogacy and Black Market Babies

ChelseaIVF, Reproductive Technology, SurrogacyLeave a Comment

Here in the America, celebrities, wealthy columnists and popular entertainment paint a smiling, rosy picture of third party reproduction, meanwhile the fertility industry has a dirty little secret. In the latest Vice for HBO documentary, Outsourcing Embryos, correspondent Gianna Toboni traveled to India to report India’s booming surrogacy industry where impoverished women are recruited to be “gestational carriers” for middle-to-upper-class … Read More

Audio: Looking Back at 2014’s Best and Worst in Bioethics

ChelseaBioethics, Euthanasia, Interviews, SurrogacyLeave a Comment

Yesterday I was up bright and early for a 6:30 am interview on the new Mike Allen Show. He has moved from an hour-long afternoon drive time show to two hours in the morning. Below is audio from my segment with Mike looking back on the best and the worst in bioethics news last year: http://www.reflectionsofaparalytic.com/audio/Mike-Allen-show-1-15-15.m4a Most of this comes from … Read More

Bioethics 2014: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

ChelseaAssisted Suicide, Bioethics, Genetic Engineering, IVF, Reproductive Technology, SurrogacyLeave a Comment

The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network has compiled their list for the “Winners and Losers” in bioethics for 2014. Winners include: Kathleen Sloan, board member for the National Organization for Women and a regular consultant for the CBC. Human biotechnology creates strange bedfellows. Although Sloan is a committed abortion rights advocate, she has also lent her voice to campaigns … Read More

Social Surrogacy

ChelseaSurrogacyLeave a Comment

Jennifer Lahl on the growing trend of “social surrogacy”: Social surrogacy is defined as the use of a surrogate mother to carry your pregnancy to term for social reasons vs. medical reasons. There is no medical reason the intended mother can’t get pregnant and carry her child to term; she just doesn’t want to get pregnant for a variety of … Read More