BIH527: Ethics and Reproductive Health

This module examines critical ethical issues arising from advances in assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilisation, the buying and selling of ova and sperm, and practices such as surrogacy. All these practices have helped millions of people to have children, but raise a series of questions concerning reproductive autonomy, the human embryo, and even the limits of state authority to intervene in such matters. The module examines to what degree citizens with differing views can approach these issues in a spirit of mutual respect and arrive at a deeper understanding of them. It also examines issues of women's health in the areas of reproductive anatomy, physiology and pathology of pregnancy and childbirth, prenatal diagnosis and various types of cancer. As regards the content of the module, it includes a variety of theoretical approaches. More specifically, it focuses on the ethical concerns arising from female infertility, with a focus on reproductive autonomy, and examines the relevant ethical dilemmas.