Establishing a Canadian Egg and Sperm Donor Registry
The McGill Journal of Law and Health () will be hosting its first panel discussion of the year on the establishment of an egg and sperm donor registry in Canada, with Vanessa Gruben, Vardit Ravitsky and Vincent Couture.
Au Canada, l鈥檕rigine des dons de sperme et d'ovules peut e虃tre connue ou anonyme. Lorsque les parents receveurs de虂cident d'utiliser des game虁tes donne虂es anonymement, les origines biologiques de l'enfant qui en re虂sulte peuvent rester un myste虁re tout au long de sa vie. Il n'y a pas de registre national des donneurs de game虁tes ainsi qu鈥檃ucune le虂gislation prote虂geant le droit des personnes issues du don de connai虃tre l'identite虂 de leur(s) parent(s) biologique(s).
Disclosing the identity of sperm and egg donors raises many legal, technical, and bioethical issues. While some countries have adopted open donation policies, recognized the right to know one鈥檚 genetic origins, and created donor registries, most donations in Canada remain anonymous.
Given that the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society has announced that it will address the subject of anonymous gamete donation at its annual conference in 2017, this panel is an important lead up to the larger policy discussion that is coming to Canada.
Speakers
Vanessa Gruben is professor at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law. Professor Gruben鈥檚 research surrounds legal regulation of different aspects of assisted human reproduction. Professor Gruben has appeared on behalf of Amnesty International Canada before the Supreme Court of Canada in Charkaoui v. Canada and Khadr v. Canada, and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. She is also a member of the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board and the Health Services Appeal and Review Board.
Vardit Ravitsky is an associate professor of in the Bioethics Programs at the School of Public Health, University of Montreal. Some of Professor Ravitsky's main areas of interest include genetics and reproductive technologies. Professor Ravitsky is also the Director of the Ethics and Health axis of the Centre de recherche en 茅thique de l'Universit茅 de Montr茅al (CR脡UM), a member of the University of Montreal Public Health Research Institute (IRSPUM) and the co-chair for the CIHR's Institute of Genetics' Priority & Planning Committee for Health Services, Policy & ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues) Research.
Vincent Couture is a doctoral student in the Programmes de sciences cliniques, Facult茅 de m茅decine et des sciences de la sant茅 (FMSS) at the University of Sherbrooke. His research interests include ethical, social and cultural aspects of human reproduction. Mr. Couture is currently researching issues including cross-border reproductive services, and the international circulation of gametes. Moreover, he is involved in a project relating to the convergence of ethics and aesthetics entitled "Art + Bio茅thique", as well as a bilingual, international academic journal entitled "Bio茅thiqueOnline."
Refreshments will follow in the Atrium.
A request for accreditation for 1.5 hours of continuing legal education for jurists has been made.
Questions? caitlin.mccann [at] mail.mcgill.ca (Email the organizers).
