Health Law, Policy and Ethics Seminar Series
Presents:
Myrisha Lewis
William and Mary Law School
Ethical, Legislative, and Political Responses to Assisted Reproductive Technology and Reproductive Genetic Innovation
Tuesday November 14, 2023
12:30pm - 2pm
Jackman Law Building, 78 Queen's Park
Room P115, Penelope Tan Classroom
Abstract: Many societally accepted techniques, like dialysis, vaccination, and artificial insemination were quite controversial at inception and for decades after. Now-routine treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF), egg freezing, and organ transplantation, flourished without significant governmental intervention. Despite social and cultural hurdles, the aforementioned medical techniques have today attained overall public acceptance, permissive legal treatment, and even health insurance coverage in some cases. Unlike those now-routine treatments, medical treatments involving reproductive genetic innovation face intense regulatory barriers. Reproductive genetic innovation, which is the combination of IVF and genetic substitution or modification, is also notable for being accompanied by the continued call of scientists, regulators, and individuals for a “societal discourse.” This workshop considers the influence of politics and morality on the law and regulation. The workshop also analyzes ways to adapt the tools of comparative administrative law and public participation to prescribe methods for a potential societal consultation on reproductive genetic innovation.
Myrisha Lewis J.D., is a Professor of Law at William & Mary Law School, where she teaches Health Law & Policy, Bioethics, and Property. Professor Lewis received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her A.B. from Harvard College. Professor Lewis' research considers how health law, family law, and criminal law respond to scientific innovations. Her monograph, SubterraneanRegulation: Science, Politics, and Reproductive Genetic Innovation, is under contract with N.Y.U. Press.
For further workshop information contact events.law@utoronto.ca
