The 2021 Paul Ramsey Institute Award Dinner honoring Helen Alvaré was an enormous success! It was so wonderful to see so many people, gathered safely, celebrating the work of Professor Alvaré and the Center for Bioethics and Culture. The night was one that we will surely remember for years to come. We want to thank every single person who came to support our important work. The financial gifts received at the dinner will help ensure the future of the Paul Ramsey Institute. Thank you!

As we have mentioned in the past, the COVID-19 pandemic has proved that our work is ever more critical. International surrogacy arrangements continue to leave babies abandoned as intended parents are unable to travel. Even with travel restrictions and abandoned babies, COVID-19 hasn’t stopped #BigFertility from preying on the women of Ukraine. As Ukraine has no standing laws on international surrogacy arrangements, it has become the newest international commercial surrogacy hot spot. This month, Jennifer was invited to speak with Ukrainian lawmakers and stakeholders as well as the U.S. State Department to express the dangers of allowing international commercial surrogacy to infiltrate the country of Ukraine. As always, we oppose surrogacy; the harms cannot be regulated with legislation. Join us in this endeavor by making a donation today.

Not only do we continue to have a critical lens on the #BigFertility industry, but we are keeping our finger on the pulse of new developments in research and technology that deeply affect our human future. You might have seen in the news, that scientists have developed a chimeric embryo made of both human and monkey cells, have published new advances in artificial womb development, and are trying to extend the limit on embryo development outside of the body (or in a petri dish). We promise to follow and dissect these reports so that you can stay informed on how these “advances” affect who we are and who we will become as a species. In return, can you promise to support us? 

Lastly, you might have noticed that the CBC has started writing on issues surrounding the hotly debated topic of gender identity and transgenderism. Largely, we have left this topic untouched, as it was not in our biotechnological lane, but as uterine transplants push the envelope with transwomen wanting babies, and transmen and transwomen turning more and more to assisted reproduction, we have begun weighing in on matters around human biology and human reproduction. We will not be afraid to report on issues that have the potential to harm the vulnerable among us. 

Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his Nobel Lecture, “Modern man has brought this whole world to an awe-inspiring threshold of the future. He has reached new and astonishing peaks of scientific success… Yet, in spite of these spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance.”  

The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network exists to address bioethical issues that most profoundly affect our humanity, especially issues that arise in the lives of the most vulnerable among us. We are critical in helping heal this poverty in spirit amongst scientific advancement. Thank you for joining us in this endeavor. 

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