Speaker BIO:
Françoise Shenfield is a Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UCH London and UCL Medical School and Honorary Lecturer in Medicine (Medical Law and Ethics). She was a Member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (1999-2002)
Clinical activities
She has been involved in the care of infertile couples for 30 years at UCLH and has a special interest in the ethical and legal aspects of reproduction -in particular the European comparative dimension of ART.
Academic activities
She has published over 60 articles and 10 chapters in ethics and law in ART in different books, and co edited 5 books on this specific subject. She is a regular speaker at international meetings, workshops and working groups on ethical dilemmas of ART and Cross border reproductive care issues in particular. She takes part in post graduate teaching at UCL and at international meetings (ESHRE, ASRM, FIGO, national fertility societies).
As a member of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESRHE), she set up a special interest group in medical law and ethics for the Society, and is a founder member of the ESHRE Ethics and Law taskforce which reflects on ethical issues on behalf of the Society; the resulting considerations numbering 22, are on ESHRE’s website (www.eshre.eu). She was a member of its executive committee for 6 years till July 2013, coordinator of its Taskforce for Cross Border Reproductive care, which led to the first international publication of data in the field, and is current coordinator of the Special interest group Socio cultural aspects or (in)fertility (SCAIF),studying oocyte cryopreservation for self use with other European colleagues.
She has been also a member of the ethics committee of FIGO (international federation of Obs. and Gynae. societies) for 15 years, and co-chair of the committee for 3 years. All published ethics considerations are on FIGO’s website (www.FIGO.org).
Overview
If “new (genetic) developments are Challenging the Ethical Framework” (Dondorp), what can be said of the ways they affect our socio-cultural long held concepts, challenged at an exponential speed since the first days of IVF. Both legally and socially societies all over the world are struggling to keep pace with technologies, sometimes reinventing old debates (when/ is the embryo a person, and do you define this legally?; what is “eugenics”?), often having difficulties grasping the science.
We have a responsibility as scientist and practitioners to inform the public plainly of the complex new genetic technologies, in order to obtain (informed) consent, a legal and ethical pre requisite.
We also should seek societal compromise. Indeed societal consensus is historically difficult to achieve contrary to what is hopefully the case in science, as many citizens will be afraid of the possibility of testing for a broad range of anomalies, more or less serious or relevant to quality of life. Furthermore this entails the health of our children and future generations, a common responsibility.
