Article

Toni’s Experience as a Surrogate Mother: It’s Been a Nightmare

Toni, a surrogate mother from Iowa, says of her experience: “It’s been a nightmare. It has almost destroyed my family.” Because of our films and how outspoken we’ve been about surrogacy—particularly through the #StopSurrogacyNow coalition—we are regularly contacted by women who find themselves in the midst of surrogacies that are in the process of going […]

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CRISPR Technology

What is CRISPR? CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a technology that allows for the editing of genes within organisms. It is part of a wider group of technologies that allows scientists to edit genomes, but CRISPR has become the most prominently known because when used in combination with the Cas9 protein, it […]

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Paul Ramsey Award Winner 2018

The Center for Bioethics and Culture and the Paul Ramsey Award Nominating Committee are pleased to announce Farr A. Curlin, M.D. as the recipient of the 2018 Paul Ramsey Award for Excellence in Bioethics. Dr. Curlin is Josiah C. Trent Professor of Medical Humanities in the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History of Medicine, and Co-Director of […]

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Contract Pregnancies Exposed Part 2

In Part 1 of this article I provided a brief overview of the history of surrogacy in the United States. In this second and final portion of the article, I delve into the actual language of surrogacy contracts. Real Surrogacy Contracts Perhaps the most effective argument against surrogacy agreements is the language of the contracts […]

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We Won’t Back Down!

Dear Friend, As each year draws to an end, I like to look back and take stock of all that your generous support has allowed us to accomplish here at the Center for Bioethics and Culture. Looking back this year, I can’t believe all that we’ve done (and the miles I’ve flown!). Early in the […]

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Leah Used to be a Happy, Healthy Person. Then She “Donated” Her Eggs…

It seems not a week goes by without hearing from someone who has been harmed by either egg “donation” or surrogacy. Today is no different. This morning I sat down at my desk and began reading a story from Leah who sold her eggs in June of this year for $7,000. I asked Leah how […]

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Ethics and Embryo Editing

In a world where it seems the news is endlessly dominated by events in and around the White House, one story this week has clearly broken through: U.S.-based researchers have succeeded in editing the genes in human embryos. This news was first reported by MIT Technology Review, but numerous other outlets — Associated Press, Scientific […]

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New Interview with Jennifer Lahl

This week Jennifer is in Washington, D.C., speaking, meeting with allies, and catching up with long-time friends. She took time out from her schedule to sit down with a reporter from The Christian Post to discuss the film we’re currently working on and the larger issue of surrogacy. Here are a few excerpts from the […]

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Our New Paul Ramsey Institute Cohort

Today we are pleased to announce the 2017-2019 cohort of our Paul Ramsey Institute (PRI). As many of you already know, the Paul Ramsey Institute is our signature educational initiative to further the thought and ideas of Paul Ramsey, to educate, and to shape future generations of bioethics leaders. Our latest cohort includes Fellows from […]

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New Ebook – Not Just Creating Your Own Family: An Interview with an Egg Donor Recipient Mother

Because of the work we do on the topic of third-party reproduction—egg donation, sperm donation, and surrogacy—we are frequently contacted by those who have been affected by these practices. In late 2016, Jennifer Lahl, the Founder and President of The Center for Bioethics and Culture, was contacted by a woman whom we are calling Sandra in […]

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2016 Winners and Losers

Each year at this time we look back over the past twelve months with an eye toward identifying those whose lives and work actively promoted and affirmed a truly human future, and those who did not. Winners: Stephanie Packer is more than a winner; she really is a hero. Sitting down with her while making […]

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“Gilmore Girls’” Subtle Critique of Surrogacy

GUEST POST by Chaney Mullins Spoiler Alert: This piece reveals several details of the four new episodes of Gilmore Girls recently released on Netflix. Gilmore Girls, about single mom Lorelai and her daughter Rory, always stood out as the paramount mother-daughter show, so it always had a lot to say about motherhood. But the Netflix […]

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Did you know? California is the Reproductive Tourist Capital of the World!

Join us for a Conversation onSurrogacy with Julie Bindel Journalist, Author, Human Rights Campaigner Against the Sexual Abuse of Women Special Bay Area only Event! Friday, November 11 The HUB, 3380 Vincent Rd, Pleasant Hill, California Even if you cannot join us, please help us spread the word — let your friends in the Bay […]

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Writing a Book on Surrogacy

A New Book on Surrogacy by Melinda Tankard Reist and Jennifer Lahl: Seeking Contributors We are seeking contributions for a new global collection of first-person accounts by women who were surrogate mothers. The book will be edited by Melinda Tankard Reist (Australia) and Jennifer Lahl (US), and will be published by Spinifex Press for release […]

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Some Choices You Don’t Get to Make: What’s Wrong with Me Before You

I’m just back from watching the controversial new film Me Before You, which opened on Friday, June 3, to modest reviews and much protest from disability rights groups like Not Dead Yet. Both the film’s screenplay and the best-selling book upon which it’s based were written by novelist JoJo Moyes. The film’s main characters are […]

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People, Real Flesh and Blood Persons

Remarks by Brent Waters, D.Phil. at theThirteenth Annual Paul Ramsey Award DinnerApril 16, 2016 Thank you, Gil, for that kind introduction, and thank you Jennifer and the members of the selection committee. When I learned that I had been selected to receive the Paul Ramsey Award for Excellence in Bioethics, I was both gratified and […]

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. . . for a human future

We held our Thirteenth Annual Paul Ramsey Award Dinner on April 16 in Diablo, California. It was a wonderful gathering where we were able to honor the legacy of Paul Ramsey by presenting Dr. Brent Waters with the Paul Ramsey Award for Excellence in Bioethics and by highlighting the work of our Paul Ramsey Institute. […]

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The Great Unaddressed Human Rights Issue of Our Day

Moments after speaking before a sea of families in Rome about the dangers of commercial surrogacy, an Italian reporter asked why I was being so vocal in a country where it is already illegal. Isn’t that like preaching to the choir, she wondered? While the notion of speaking to hundreds of thousands of people who […]

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