STS 212
Ethics and Reproductive Technologies Fall 2024
Division II Writing Skills
Cross-listed WGSS 212 / PHIL 212

In her groundbreaking book, The Tentative Pregnancy, Barbara Katz Rothman writes that “[t]he technological revolution in reproduction is forcing us to confront the very meaning of motherhood, to examine the nature and origins of the mother-child bond, and to replace–or to let us think we can replace–chance with choice.” Taking this as our starting point, in this course we will examine a number of conceptual and ethical issues in the use and development of technologies related to human reproduction, drawing out their implications for such core concepts as “motherhood” and “parenthood,” family and genetic relatedness, exploitation and commodification, and reproductive rights and society’s interests in reproductive activities. Topics will range from consideration of “mundane” technologies such as contraception, abortion, in vitro fertilization (IVF), prenatal genetic screening and testing, and surrogacy, to the more extraordinary, possibly including pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), post-menopausal reproduction, uterine transplants, and “artificial wombs.” Background readings include sources rooted in traditional modes of bioethical analysis as well as those incorporating feminist approaches.