Ethics of Reproduction and Early Life

BETH 749 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Ethics of Reproduction and Early Life addresses questions beginning with contemplating life, navigating features of reproduction and reproductive health, and continuing through the first two decades of a child’s life. The course will begin with an exploration of ethical questions that arise in the context of reproduction, including assisted reproduction, family planning, and pregnancy care. Cases will explore topics from pre-implantation considerations such as IVF, genetic selection, pre-natal genetic testing and gene editing to post-humous reproduction and the maternal-fetal dyad including balancing of interests, pregnancy termination, and parental choice. The second half of the course will then turn to the complexities of a developing child and the role of the parent/responsible adults in healthcare decision-making for children by examining bioethical considerations at different developmental stages (e.g., infancy, adolescence, end-of-life) and in different locales (e.g., intensive care unit, nursery, outpatient clinic) in pediatric healthcare. The course will employ interactive lectures, case analyses, and facilitated discussions to engage students in active learning and mastery of core bioethical concepts and contemporary challenges that arise in reproduction and childhood.