7804. Reproductive Technologies and the Law

This course introduces students to scientific developments, ethical dilemmas and legal disputes surrounding assisted reproduction and the family arrangements that reproductive technologies have made possible. Courts face increasingly complicated claims regarding parental rights and responsibilities in an age where reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization and surrogacy distribute conception, gestation and parenthood among a variety of participants. Topics will include the science and medicine of human procreation, including new and emerging technologies; markets for gametes; the rights and responsibilities of sperm and egg ¿donors¿; reproductive genetics, including the testing of embryos for medical and social purposes; surrogacy and gestational carrier arrangements; reproductive tourism and cross-border reproductive care; posthumous reproduction; the regulation of reproductive medicine and the fertility industry; as well as international and comparative approaches to reproductive technologies and the law.