Regulating Reproduction

Emily Jackson is a Professor of Law at the London School of Economics and a member of a number of regulatory and advisory bodies, such as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, and the British Medical Association Medical Ethics Committee.

In defence of reproductive autonomy. Birth control: introduction; regulating access to birth control - United Kingdom, developing countries; defective birth control - defective sterilisation, defective contraception; involuntary birth control - a brief history of eugenic sterilisation, compulsory birth control, sterilisation in cases of incapacity; conclusion. Abortion: introduction; the law; access to abortion; special problems - distinguishing between contraception and abortion; are some abortions morally "worse" than others?; conclusion. Pregnancy and childbirth: introduction; regulation of prenatal care and obstetric services - access and accountability, the medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth; forced caesarean sections; controlling pregnancy - third parties, "maternal" immunity, "maternal" liability; health promotion - employment, health promotion programmes; conclusion. Reproductive technologies: introduction; what is infertility?; what are reproductive technologies? - cryopreservation, assisted insemination by husband/partner, donor insemination, oocyte (egg) donation, "in vitro" fertilisation, gamete intra-fallopian transfer, micromanipulation, cloning; critics of reproductive technologies - unnaturalness, child welfare arguments, the feminist critique; regulation in the UK - controlling the provision of treatment, regulating access, regulating the status and use of gametes, regulating the status and use of the embryo, parentage, regulating new technologies; conclusion. Surrogacy: introduction; the law - commercialisation, status, acquiring legal parenthood, (non) regulation, reform; is surrogacy acceptable? - an option of last resort?, why don't "they" adopt instead?, harm to children?, risk of exploitation, commodification of reproduction; lessons from contract law; conclusion. Postscript.