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Reproduction and Responsibility: the Regulation of New Biotechnologies

The recommendations of this report represent an important step forward in what has been an ongoing and contentious set of debates. We are pro-choice advocates who support both assisted reproduction for people who are infertile and embryo stem cell research, and who have concerns about the unregulated and commercialized atmosphere in which these technologies are being used. This report is a positive development because:

• It recommends putting women and children at the center of concern of policies regarding the assisted reproduction industry. Focusing on the well-being of children, as well as on the services provided to adults who are infertile, will make a critical difference in distinguishing practices that are reasonable and ethical from those that are not.
• It underscores the need for better research to define the risks of these new technologies. Without such data, women -the ones who most often undergo the risks involved - cannot make informed decisions. These risks have far too often been glossed over, even though many studies have called for more in-depth investigations.
• It documents why we need public oversight of assisted reproduction, a field that is much less regulated and more privatized than other areas of medical practice. Although most IVF practitioners are responsible and trustworthy, the voluntary standards set by trade associations such as the American Society for Reproductive Medicine have been inadequate.
• It contains language that effectively prohibits human reproductive cloning - a goal shared by the vast majority of Americans, as well as by many other countries that have already implemented prohibitions on human reproductive cloning.
• It recommends that the selling of human embryos be prohibited and that certain restrictions on the patenting of human embryos be made more explicit via legislation. This would allow an important public discussion about the commercial control of reproduction and health care.

Obviously, many key controversial issues are left unresolved. And there is always the possibility that the current administration will misuse or misapply the recommendations in this report, especially since so many recent actions by the Bush administration have been grounded in ideological beliefs that are harmful to women.

The core recommendations of this report are consistent with the values of pro-choice progressives and social justice advocates; indeed, they promote and affirm those values. The report demonstrates that when the stakes are high enough, individuals with philosophical, political, and religious disagreements can find ways to move forward together.