SP 8: Ethics and Law of Reproductive Medicine

Research questions, aims

The German Embryo Protection Act sets very strict limits for research at the beginning of human life. A deeper understanding of the ethics of reproductive medicine and the respective laws aims at providing the basis for an improved comprehensive reproductive law the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina was asking for (1).

Scientific Background

In ethics there is a long-lasting debate, whether the early embryo has a right to live or not. If so, then any research destroying an embryo is impermissible. If not, a second ethics question arises: Do new possibilities of reproductive medicine change our societies in a way that human beings are produced instead of being begotten with the risk to lose fundamental aspects of a human society? But, on the other hand, too restrictive ethics and respective laws hinder scientists in reproductive medicine to provide couples wishing a child the best possible support and care.

Own preceding work

Since his postdoctoral thesis on the Responsibility of Embryo Research 1998, Knoepffler’s research focuses on the topic of the beginning of life (s. CV). He is member of various national Ethics commissions, e. g. Member of the “Ethics Committee for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis at the State Medical Chamber Baden-Württemberg” representing Thuringia and was 2011-2020: Member of the “Central Ethics Committee for Stem Cell Research” of the German Government. Eberbach’s work was and is very much linked to questions of medical law with a focus on reproductive medicine. He was involved in the preparation of the German Embryonic Protection Law by being employed at the ministry which was responsible for drafting the Law, member of the “Benda-commission”, and member in the Commission of “Bund und Länder” on reproductive medicine.

Involvement of the Junior Ethics and Law Researcher

In collaboration with the Medical and Clinician Scientists in reproductive medicine, the Junior Ethics and Law Researcher will introduce them to ethical and juridical questions. At the same time, she/he will work on developing a proposal for a comprehensive German reproductive law based on the transdisciplinary cooperation with the scientists covering the earliest aspects of reproductive health in CEPRE. Relevance for CEPRE and for Reproductive Health: This subprogram will cover the earliest aspects of reproductive ethical and juridical challenges in CEPRE. The Ethics and Law Scientist will intensify the knowledge of ethics at the beginning of life and of the prermissible use of reproductive technologies providing a proposal for a comprehensive German reproductive law based on ethics of human dignity and human rights.

Reference

(1) Leopoldina NAoS. Akademien empfehlen zeitgemäßes Fortpflanzungsmedizingesetz 2019, Available from: https://www.leopoldina.org/presse-1/nachrichten/stellungnahme-fortpflanzungsmedizin.