Law and Ethics of Reproductive Technologies
All Themes: Lecture + Literature Summary
,Table of Contents
Law and Ethics of Reproductive Technologies .................................................................................................. 1
All Themes: Lecture + Literature Summary ................................................................................................... 1
Theme 1 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................... 3
Designer Baby’s/introduction........................................................................................................................ 3
II. From mapping the human genome to editing the human germline..................................................... 4
II.1 Redesigning the human genome ......................................................................................................... 4
II.2 Safety and desirability ......................................................................................................................... 4
Clinical application..................................................................................................................................... 5
Medical ethics regime ............................................................................................................................... 5
II.4 Rule-making on breeding..................................................................................................................... 5
Woodham: Down’s Syndrome - NIPT in the bud? ..................................................................................... 6
Pandora’s Baby - How Prenatal Testing could Predict Your Child ............................................................. 7
Cell-free fetal DNA testing ......................................................................................................................... 7
How should reproductive technologies be regulated in a liberal democracy? ......................................... 7
Theme 2 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................... 8
The welfare of the child in medically assisted reproduction ........................................................................ 8
Central question: ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Part I: assessment of the risks associated with the would-be parent(s) ................................................... 8
Part II: assessment of the risks of assisted reproductive technologies ..................................................... 9
Theme 3 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 10
The meaning of human rights for the governance of reproductive technologies ...................................... 10
Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) ............................................................................................... 10
What are the limits to designer baby technologies?............................................................................... 11
2 Types of Human dignity (Defines what makes us human): .................................................................. 12
How to read case law of the ECTHR ........................................................................................................ 12
Theme 4 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 14
What do we owe to our future child? ......................................................................................................... 14
How can you decide if a life of suffering is worse than not having a life? Suffering is objective, not living
is definite -1
case example 15
Would there be a difference if this was about human germline editing? .............................................. 15
Theme 5 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 17
Sperm banks and IVF procedures ................................................................................................................ 17
Spear points: ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Watch the video for full understanding: ................................................................................................. 17
Theme 6 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 18
Legal and ethical status of embryo’s ........................................................................................................... 18
In Vitro Embryo’s ..................................................................................................................................... 18
The frozen embryo dispute ..................................................................................................................... 18
, 1. It is an ethically sensitive matter ............................................................................................................. 19
Is there a moral difference between: using embryos from that are left over from fertility treatments
and creating embryos for research purpose? ......................................................................................... 19
Article 8.................................................................................................................................................... 19
Article 2.................................................................................................................................................... 19
Theme 7 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 20
Traditional surrogacy ................................................................................................................................... 20
Reasons for a recent boom in surrogacy: ................................................................................................ 20
Human dignity in surrogacy ..................................................................................................................... 20
There are different views on this in different countries: ........................................................................ 20
REPRODUCTIVE TOURISM ....................................................................................................................... 21
WHY IS IT HARD TO EFFECTIVELY REGULATE REPRODUCTIVE TOURISM? .............................................. 21
Why Europe is giving into baby markets ................................................................................................. 21
1) Extraterritoriality (can national laws be applied abroad?) ..................................................................... 21
2) The failure of human rights ..................................................................................................................... 21
RISE OF PRAGMATIC TOLERANCE: FROM SOFT DRUGS TO BABY MARKETS ........................................... 23
Different trends arise: ............................................................................................................................. 23
The Netherlands and the UK ................................................................................................................... 23
Legal issues: differences in law................................................................................................................ 23
Potential solutions: .................................................................................................................................. 23
Margin of appreciation ............................................................................................................................ 24
Theme 1 - Lecture & Literature Summary
Designer Baby’s/introduction
IT fuses bio- and cognitive technology NBIC-convergence
NBIC-convergence implies an increased interaction between life and physical sciences.
Two bioengineering megatrends:
1. biology becomes technology
• controlling bodies and brains like machines
o e.g., human germline editing
2. technology becomes biology
• introducing life-like features (self-repair, cognition, learning) into technology
All Themes: Lecture + Literature Summary
,Table of Contents
Law and Ethics of Reproductive Technologies .................................................................................................. 1
All Themes: Lecture + Literature Summary ................................................................................................... 1
Theme 1 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................... 3
Designer Baby’s/introduction........................................................................................................................ 3
II. From mapping the human genome to editing the human germline..................................................... 4
II.1 Redesigning the human genome ......................................................................................................... 4
II.2 Safety and desirability ......................................................................................................................... 4
Clinical application..................................................................................................................................... 5
Medical ethics regime ............................................................................................................................... 5
II.4 Rule-making on breeding..................................................................................................................... 5
Woodham: Down’s Syndrome - NIPT in the bud? ..................................................................................... 6
Pandora’s Baby - How Prenatal Testing could Predict Your Child ............................................................. 7
Cell-free fetal DNA testing ......................................................................................................................... 7
How should reproductive technologies be regulated in a liberal democracy? ......................................... 7
Theme 2 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................... 8
The welfare of the child in medically assisted reproduction ........................................................................ 8
Central question: ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Part I: assessment of the risks associated with the would-be parent(s) ................................................... 8
Part II: assessment of the risks of assisted reproductive technologies ..................................................... 9
Theme 3 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 10
The meaning of human rights for the governance of reproductive technologies ...................................... 10
Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) ............................................................................................... 10
What are the limits to designer baby technologies?............................................................................... 11
2 Types of Human dignity (Defines what makes us human): .................................................................. 12
How to read case law of the ECTHR ........................................................................................................ 12
Theme 4 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 14
What do we owe to our future child? ......................................................................................................... 14
How can you decide if a life of suffering is worse than not having a life? Suffering is objective, not living
is definite -1
case example 15
Would there be a difference if this was about human germline editing? .............................................. 15
Theme 5 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 17
Sperm banks and IVF procedures ................................................................................................................ 17
Spear points: ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Watch the video for full understanding: ................................................................................................. 17
Theme 6 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 18
Legal and ethical status of embryo’s ........................................................................................................... 18
In Vitro Embryo’s ..................................................................................................................................... 18
The frozen embryo dispute ..................................................................................................................... 18
, 1. It is an ethically sensitive matter ............................................................................................................. 19
Is there a moral difference between: using embryos from that are left over from fertility treatments
and creating embryos for research purpose? ......................................................................................... 19
Article 8.................................................................................................................................................... 19
Article 2.................................................................................................................................................... 19
Theme 7 - Lecture & Literature Summary .................................................................................................. 20
Traditional surrogacy ................................................................................................................................... 20
Reasons for a recent boom in surrogacy: ................................................................................................ 20
Human dignity in surrogacy ..................................................................................................................... 20
There are different views on this in different countries: ........................................................................ 20
REPRODUCTIVE TOURISM ....................................................................................................................... 21
WHY IS IT HARD TO EFFECTIVELY REGULATE REPRODUCTIVE TOURISM? .............................................. 21
Why Europe is giving into baby markets ................................................................................................. 21
1) Extraterritoriality (can national laws be applied abroad?) ..................................................................... 21
2) The failure of human rights ..................................................................................................................... 21
RISE OF PRAGMATIC TOLERANCE: FROM SOFT DRUGS TO BABY MARKETS ........................................... 23
Different trends arise: ............................................................................................................................. 23
The Netherlands and the UK ................................................................................................................... 23
Legal issues: differences in law................................................................................................................ 23
Potential solutions: .................................................................................................................................. 23
Margin of appreciation ............................................................................................................................ 24
Theme 1 - Lecture & Literature Summary
Designer Baby’s/introduction
IT fuses bio- and cognitive technology NBIC-convergence
NBIC-convergence implies an increased interaction between life and physical sciences.
Two bioengineering megatrends:
1. biology becomes technology
• controlling bodies and brains like machines
o e.g., human germline editing
2. technology becomes biology
• introducing life-like features (self-repair, cognition, learning) into technology
