Assisted Reproduction in Canada: Research Notes from the Field

Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Presenting preliminary results from four empirical studies exploring Canadians’ experiences of surrogacy, egg donation, and egg freezing.

While Canadians are increasingly turning to assisted reproductive practices to build their families or preserve their fertility, little is known about the experiences of surrogates, intended parents, egg donors and people who freeze their eggs.Join us for a panel discussion and interactive Q&A with leading experts who will share key insights from their ongoing research studies. This panel will present preliminary results from four empirical studies exploring Canadians’ experiences of surrogacy, egg donation, and egg freezing. These studies, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, are the first of their kind in Canada and seek to inform law, policy-making, and clinical practices. <h2>Our Panelists</h2>Professor Stefanie Carsley, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of OttawaStefanie Carsley is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, Common Law Section where she researches and teaches in the areas of family law, health law and tort law. Her research focuses on Canadian law and policy responses to assisted reproduction. She is currently the principal investigator for a SSHRC-funded qualitative study entitled “Surrogacy Laws in Canada: Exploring Intended Parents’ Experiences and Perspectives” (2021-2023). She is a member of uOttawa’s Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics and uOttawa’s Public Law Centre, and is called to the Bar in Ontario. Professor Alana Cattapan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and the Canada Research Chair in the Politics of ReproductionAlana Cattapan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and the Canada Research Chair in the Politics of Reproduction. Her research focuses on reproductive autonomy, the commercialization of the body, and the governance of assisted reproduction in Canada. She is a co-editor of Surrogacy in Canada: Critical Perspectives in Law and Policy (Irwin 2018), and Feministing in Political Science (University of Alberta Press, 2024). Professor Vanessa Gruben, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of OttawaVanessa Gruben is a professor in the Common Law Section of the university of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law. A recognized expert in Canadian health law and policy, her scholarship probes some of the most difficult contemporary legal and ethical issues related to health care. Specifically, her research explores the law and ethics regarding assisted reproduction, harm reduction, organ donation and transplantation, and health care professional self-regulation. Professor Kathleen (Katie) Hammond, Assistant Professor, Lincoln Alexander School of LawKathleen (Katie) Hammond is an assistant professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University. She holds a JD and BCL from McGill University. She completed an MPhil in Multi-Disciplinary Gender Studies and a PhD in Legal Sociology at the University of Cambridge where she was a Gates Cambridge scholar and a Commonwealth scholar. She teaches and researches in the areas of health law and policy, science and technology law, and gender and families. Anya Johnson Poon, Lead researcher, Ova Obscura: Egg Donors in CanadaAnya Johnson Poon is the lead research assistant on the SSHRC-funded Ova Obscura project on egg donation in Canada. She recently graduated from the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the University of Waterloo with an MA in Global Governance. Her interest in medical and reproductive travel has brought her to focus on the politics of reproduction, and in particular on queer reproduction through assisted reproductive technologies. This event is being organized by the <a href="https://justiceandtechnology.com/health-law-innovation-research-group/" title="https://justiceandtechnology.com/health-law-innovation-research-group/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Health Law and Innovation Research Group</a> in conjunction with Lincoln Alexander Law's Justice &amp; Technology Initiative.

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Assisted Reproduction in Canada: Research Notes from the Field

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