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Impact Ethics

Eggs and Embryos

SELECT MEDIA ARTICLES

Kirkey, S. (23 Jun 1016). . National Post. 

SELECT BLOGS

Cattapan, A. (17 Mar 2016). . BMJ: Journal of Medical Ethics Blog.

Baylis, F. (2016). . RSC Reports from Abroad.

Baylis F. (25 Feb to 6 Mar 2016). NEJM Group Open Forum.

Cattapan, A. (11 Nov 2015). . Healthydebate.ca.

Cattapan, A. (26 Oct 2015). . TVO.org.

Cattapan, A. (24 Apr 2015). . Impact Ethics.

Browne, K. (17 Mar 2015). . Impact Ethics.

Cattapan, A. (11 Mar 2015). . International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics Blog.

Baylis F. (23 Feb 2015). . Impact Ethics.

Baylis F. (8 Dec 2014). Healthy Debate.

Baylis F. (2 Dec 2014). . Impact Ethics.

Baylis F. (16 Oct 2014). . Impact Ethics.

Hua, H.T.M. (22 Aug 2014). . Impact Ethics.

White, P. (15 Jul 2014). . Impact Ethics.

McLeod C. & Botterell A. (6 May 2014). . Impact Ethics.

Gruben V. (23 Apr 2014). . Impact Ethics.

Cattapan A. (21 Apr 2014). . Impact Ethics.

White P. (17 Jan 2014). . Impact Ethics.

Cattapan A. (21 Dec 2013). . Impact Ethics.

Baylis F. & Downie J. (17 Dec 2013). . Impact Ethics.

Cattapan A. (13 Aug 2013). . Impact Ethics.

Baylis F. (2 Jul 2013). . Impact Ethics.

Baylis F. (26 Jun 2013). Impact Ethics.

Baylis F. & Tonkens, R. (25 Apr 2013). . Impact Ethics.

Baylis F. (3 Apr 2013). . The Blog, Huffington Post Canada.

Baylis F. (1 May 2012). Bioethics Forum.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Baylis, F. (2017). . In T. Lemmens, A.F. Martin, C. Milne, & I.B. Lee (Eds.),Regulating creation: The law, ethics and policy of assisted human reproductions (pp. 490-528). Toronto, ON: Toronto University Press.

Baylis, F., Cattapan, A., & Snow, D. (Apr 2017) Editorial misconduct. Public Affairs Quarterly, 31(2), 143-155.

Baylis, F., & Herder, M. (2016). In. S. Dodds & R. Ankeny (Eds.), Big picture bioethics: Developing democratic policy in contested domains (pp. 73-105). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

Baylis, F. (2016). Harvard Health Policy Review, 15(2), 19-23.

Krahn, T.M., & Baylis F. (2016). . Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 38(5), 470-482.

Cattapan, A. (2016). . Journal of Medical Ethics, 42(7), 455-459.

Cattapan, A., & Baylis, F. (Dec 2015). . Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online, 1(2), 104-112.

Baylis, F., & Widdows, H. (2015). . Monash Bioethics Review, 33(4), 340-359.

Cattapan, A., & Snow, D. (2015). . Monash Bioethics Review, 33(4), 379-395.

Browne, K. (2015). . Monash Bioethics Review, 33(4), 295-300.

Snow D., Baylis F., & Downie, J. (2015). . McGill Journal of Law and Health, 9(1), 1-15.

Petropanagos, A., Cattapan A., Baylis F., & Leader, A. (2015). . Canadian Medical Association Journal, 187(9), 666-669.

Snow, D., Cattapan, A. & Baylis, F. (2015). . Nature Biotechnology, 33(9), 909.

Petropanagos, A., & Campo-Engelstein, L. (2015). . Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 4(33), 96-99.

Baylis, F. (2015). . Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 27(1), 64-67.

Baylis, F. (2015). Uses of human embryos for reproduction and research. In J.A. Arras, E. Fenton & R. Kukla (Eds.), Routledge companion to bioethics (pp. 357-369). New York, NY: Routledge.

Cattapan, A., Copeland, S., & Snow, D. (2015). . The Gazette (of the Society for the Social History of Medicine), 68(Feb), 6-7.

Baylis, F. (Spring 2015). . Creating Families, 10(1), 54-56.

Tonkens, R. (2015). . Journal of Medical Ethics, 41(3), 245-51.

Baylis, F. (2014) . In Reference module in bomedical sciences (pp.1-8). Elsevier [online]: doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-801238-3.00268-3.

Baylis, F., & Downie, J. (2014). . International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, 7(2), 164-184.

Baylis F., Downie, J., & Snow D. (2014). . Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Canada, 36(6), 510-512.

Baylis, F., & Downie, J. (2013). . Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 25(2), 183-201.

Tonkens, R. (2013). Fertility and Sterility, 100(4), E28.

Downie, J., & Baylis, F. (2013). . Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, 41(1), 224-239.

Baylis, F. (2013). Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 26, 531-534.

Baylis, F. (2013). . In: H. Lafollette (Ed.) The International encyclopedia of ethics (pp. 1579-1585). London, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Baylis, F. (2012). . In: R. Chadwick (Ed) Encyclopedia of applied ethics 2nd ed. (Vol. 2, pp. 712-720). San Diego: Academic Press USA.  

Baylis, F. (2012). [Guest Editorial]. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada 34(6): 511-513

Baylis, F. (2012). [Editorial sollicité]. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 33(6), 514-516.

Baylis, F. (2012). [Letter to the Editor]. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 34(5), 415.

SELECT POLICY CONTRIBUTIONS

Eggs and Embryos for Research (2011-2015)

A comparative study of assisted human reproduction patients' views about the donation of eggs and embryos for scientific and clinical research.               

Investigators: F. Baylis, E. Haimes, E. Fredericks, C. McLeod, A. Leader,  J. Takefman

Collaborators: R. Bouzayen, A. Cameron, V. Gruben  

Researchers and Postdoctoral Fellows: T. Browne, A. Cattapan, S. Côté, A. Doyle, T. Krahn, D. Snow, R. Tonkens, P. White

Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and working in association with Canadian IVF clinicss.  

Women and couples who use reproductive technologies sometimes have frozen eggs and embryos they do not want or cannot use for their own reproductive purposes, and sometimes they choose to donate these reproductive materials for scientific and clinical research.

This research has generated much-needed Canadian data on the acceptability of in vitro embryo research to the potential donors of these reproductive materials. It also critically analyzed the potential social and ethical costs associated with embryo donation for research, with particular attention to competing views about the benefits and limitations of donating versus selling reproductive materials, and the importance (if any) attributed to the purpose of the embryo research in making decisions about donation. Together, empirical data and philosophical reflections have worked to inform clinicians, researchers and policymakers to help improve consent procedures as well as legislative and policy options.

This study included three distinct research projects:

Project 1:    Patients’ Perspectives on Egg and Embryo Donation for Research 

Through semi-structured interviews held with patients from three clinic sites, the project has provided new information about the perspectives of in vitro fertilization patients concerning the disposition of their embryos and their potential use in research. It has contributed new knowledge to international bioethical debates on egg and embryo research.

Women or couples that participated in this study may be interested in the additional information provided in our page (updated September 2015). 

Project 2:  Social and Ethical Aspects of Egg and Embryo Donation for Research

This project analyzed the potential social and ethical aspects of in vitro egg and embryo donation for research from a feminist perspective, with particular attention to the ways in which research practices and policies may be harmful to women.

This project emphasized the social and ethical costs associated with in vitro egg and embryo donation, in ways that considered the perceptions, views and understandings of those that participated in the semi-structured interviews of Project 1.  

Project 3:  Policies for Egg and Embryo Donation for Research

This project identified the best consent documents and processes to promote informed choice in the donation of in vitro eggs and embryos for research, and what regulatory or legislative requirements will best support ethical practice for this donation. Thus, the knowledge gained from Projects 1 and 2 was transferred to clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.

Research is still being conducted and relevant findings disseminated on informed consent documents and policies for in vitro human egg and embryo donation to be circulated widely to Canadian IVF clinics and relevant professional organizations.  

Last updated September 2017.