Good evening, distinguished guests, steadfast supporters, and cherished friends. It’s a joy to stand before you tonight, to celebrate a milestone that feels both monumental and humbling—25 years of the Center for Bioethics and Culture. As we prepare to celebrate not only the longevity and legacy of the CBC, but the important work of Dr. Robbie George, I stand in front of you filled with gratitude- for our dedicated team, our supporters, and everyone here who is celebrating with us. Thank you for joining us to honor this remarkable journey and to chart the course ahead.

Let’s rewind to the year 2000, when Y2K fears faded but science surged forward —genetic engineering, stem cell research, and assisted reproductive technologies were no longer science fiction but headlines. Terms like “egg donation,” “surrogacy,” and “designer babies” entered the mainstream, often hailed as progress. Amid the enthusiasm of a new millennium, a quiet but profound question emerged: What does it mean to be human in an age where we can reshape life itself? Our founder, Jennifer Lahl, didn’t shy away from that question. Instead, she leaned into it, launching the Center for Bioethics and Culture with a vision as bold as it was compassionate—to ensure that biotechnology serves humanity, not the other way around. When the culture around science and medicine was charging full speed ahead—driven by profit, prestige, and promise—Jennifer paused, looked closer, and asked: “At what cost?”

From a small spark of one woman’s resolve, the CBC has grown into a global force, tackling issues like euthanasia, surrogacy, egg “donation”, genetic manipulation, and the gender ideology industry. We’ve done so not with fear, but with clarity, reason, and an unshakable belief in the worth of every person. Our mission has never been to halt progress but to ask the hard questions: Who benefits? Who is harmed? And how do we protect the vulnerable in a world that often prioritizes profit over people?

Over the last 25 years we have witnessed a deep ethical erosion happening beneath the surface of medicine and in our culture celebrating the reduction and erasure of women, treating children as products and science experiments- ordered, delivered, maimed or rejected. But we have not wavered in our mission to work with cultural leaders, decision makers and others, so that progress in biotechnology will unite around a common human good promoting human flourishing. Tonight, you’ll hear first-hand from Dr. Eithain Haim, a young surgeon who stood up to such erosion.

Before we hear from our award winner and keynote speaker, let me paint a picture of what these 25 years have meant- of what we have accomplished. One of our most powerful tools in educating has always been storytelling. In 2006, we released our first, award-winning documentary Eggsploitation, which peeled back the curtain on the egg “donation” industry – exposing the physical and emotional toll on young women who sell their eggs. That film didn’t just inform—it ignited a movement, giving voice to women who’d been silenced and prompting policy discussions worldwide. Currently, we are working with women around the world who were harmed after traveling to Canada to sell their eggs. These women are pursuing justice through a class action lawsuit. Our second film Breeders: A Subclass of Women?, exposed the human cost of surrogacy. Since that film debuted, we have been the go-to organization for the countless women exploited through surrogacy. Women like Brenda* who was told to abort the twins she was carrying because they had in-utero health complications. Women like Kelly* who wanted to share about her high-risk surrogate pregnancy that ended with a stay in the ICU, 7 blood transfusions, and the loss of her uterus. Women like Emma* who need legal support during their surrogate pregnancy because things didn’t go as planned and her and her children face homelessness or breach of contract. We will continue to amplify the voices of women and children who have been directly affected by third-party reproduction —many of whom are speaking out for the first time.

In 25 years the CBC has produced eleven original documentary films. Our last three a trilogy of films which courageously navigated the complexities of gender ideology with empathy and truth.

Our films have reached millions—screened in universities, churches, and parliaments, translated into multiple languages, and shared by people hungry for honest answers. They don’t just educate; they humanize, putting faces and stories to issues too often reduced to soundbites. Film after film, story after story, we’ve asked our audience—and the culture at large—not to look away.

Our impact goes far beyond the screen. We’ve hosted symposiums, published hundreds of articles, op-eds, policy briefs, educational resources, and reports offering a steady voice in a noisy world and ensuring that ethical considerations are not overshadowed by profit motives or political pressure. We’ve testified before legislatures, advocating for laws that protect rather than exploit. Our team has brought research, compassion, and clarity to rooms where difficult decisions were being made. Whether the issue was commercial surrogacy or puberty blockers, the CBC has consistently been a voice for human dignity and the protection of the most vulnerable. Just this past year, we provided expert testimony in legislative hearings across several states including Minnesota and our nation’s capital and in 2024 we made a permanent mark on the right side of history. The CBC, along with Jordan Peterson, Chloe Cole, Laura Becker, Gays Against Groomers and numerous other detransitioners, scholars, researchers, healthcare providers, and public officials we supported and signed an amicus brief for U.S. v Skrmetti, backing the State of Tennessee’s restrictions on “gender-affirming” care for minors.

We’ve also hosted podcasts and been podcast guests ourselves. In the last few months, I had the privilege of sitting down with influential voices like Nicole Shanahan, Robert Kennedy’s VP running mate, and Allie Beth Stuckey, host of Relatable with over 1/2 million subscribers. In those conversations, I was able to dive deep into the ethical challenges of surrogacy and assisted reproduction—conversations that reached thousands and sparked meaningful dialogue across diverse audiences.

Through our Paul Ramsey Award, we’ve honored giants in bioethics—thinkers like Leon Kass Gilbert Meilaender, and Dr. Robbie George—who remind us that rigorous scholarship can coexist with moral courage. Our Paul Ramsey Institute now celebrates over 50 graduates and is growing.

And let’s not forget the quieter victories—the lives touched one conversation at a time.

I want to rewind and share a story that captures the heart of our work. In 2013, a young woman named Jessica Kern testified before the Washington, D.C., City Council alongside our founder during debates over a surrogacy bill. Jessica, featured in our film Breeders, had learned at 16 that she was born via surrogacy. She described the pain of feeling like a product, carrying a “price tag” in a system that prioritized adult desires over children’s identities. Her courage to speak out, amplified by our film, challenged lawmakers to consider the human cost of surrogacy and inspired countless others to question the ethics of an industry that often ignores its consequences. Stories like Jessica’s—public yet deeply personal—are the soul of our mission.

I can think of others, such as the young women who, after watching one of our films, reconsiders her decision to pursue egg selling. I think about the men and women who email me sharing their personal stories and struggles with infertility. One couple recently wrote, “Through your organization we have become increasingly uncomfortable with doing IVF and the ethics with it. We just want to make sure what we are doing is moral, and healthy and helpful for the child and for us.” I think of the policymaker who cites our groundbreaking research on surrogate mothers to draft legislation banning commercial surrogacy in their country. These moments—some public, most quiet—are the threads of a tapestry woven over 25 years, a testament to what’s possible when compassion meets conviction.

And yet, as we celebrate, we know the road ahead is steep. The challenges we face today are complex. Artificial intelligence is raising questions about personhood and autonomy. Genetic editing technologies like CRISPR and preimplantation genetic testing tempt us with godlike power to design life itself. The fertility industry is inventing new ways to profit off of women and children with little oversight. And debates over gender and identity are reshaping culture, medicine, and law. We are navigating a ship in a culture increasingly confused about what it means to be male, female, embodied, and whole. As I hope I have made clear in the stories I’ve shared, these aren’t abstract issues—they touch real lives, real families, real futures.

Tonight, I stand here filled with optimism, despite the challenges, because I know the strength of this organization and this community. You- Our supporters. Our donors. Our allies. Our skeptics who asked hard questions and helped sharpen our focus-You have carried us through 25 years of impact.

Your donations have funded our films, our research, our outreach, and the next generation of scholars through our prestigious Paul Ramsey Institute. Your encouragement has given us the courage to speak truth, even when we might get cancelled. Your prayers and partnership have reminded us we’re not alone. And your presence here tonight is a powerful declaration that you believe in a world where every life is valued, where technology bends toward justice, and where dignity is non-negotiable.

Now, let’s dream together about the future. Picture a world where no woman is pressured to sell her body or her children for profit. A world where children are welcomed as gifts, not products designed to order. A world where science heals without harming, where the vulnerable are shielded, and where truth cuts through confusion like a lighthouse in a storm. That’s the world CBC is fighting for, and we need your help to build it.

We dream of expanding our educational reach—creating accessible, thoughtful toolkits for schools, homeschoolers, churches, and communities to navigate complex bioethical issues with clarity and confidence.

We’ll continue to inform and inspire through compelling films and impactful writing. A new book is on the horizon, and new films are in the works.

We are developing a digital hub of resources for women and children harmed by Big Fertility, so when someone reaches out after experiencing exploitation or coercion, we can respond with compassion and practical guidance on the path to healing.

Our work on the ethical, medical, and legal implications of third-party reproduction continues to shape conversations across the globe—crossing ideological divides and cultural boundaries. Because no matter where you live or what you believe, the human longing for dignity, connection, and truth is universal.

We envision building on this momentum through expanded research and the creation of a CBC Network Research Institute—a dedicated space for rigorous study, data collection, and thought leadership in bioethics.

At the same time, as laws and policies around the world shift at an unprecedented pace, we recognize the urgent need for a Center for Bioethics and Public Policy—to track these changes, influence outcomes, and ensure that ethics keep pace with technology.

But dreams don’t become reality without resources. Tonight’s gala is more than a celebration—it’s a call to action. Your generosity will fuel our next chapter. Every dollar you give extends our reach, amplifies our voice, and brings us closer to that better world.

Let me close with one final story. Alana Newman, featured in our 2011 film Anonymous Father’s Day, grew up knowing she was donor-conceived but struggled with the void of not knowing her biological father. Through her involvement with CBC, she found a platform to share her story and advocate for others like her. After the film’s release, Alana spoke at events and wrote publicly, saying that the film gave her the courage to demand better protections for donor-conceived children, who’s right to know their origins is often ignored. Her voice, amplified by our work, has reached thousands. That’s the ripple effect of our work—one life, one story, one community at a time.

Twenty-five years ago, we planted a seed. It grew—not because the world was ready for it, but because the world needed it. We will continue to be the voice in the room that says: “Slow down. Ask questions. Consider the cost.” In a culture that often confuses progress with wisdom, we are here to remind people that human beings are not machines. That children are not products. That women’s bodies are not commodities. And that ethics must never be an afterthought—it must be the foundation.

We are not anti-technology, but we are pro-human. And in today’s landscape, that stance is not only necessary—it’s radical.

Here’s to another radical 25 years. Your encouragement fuels us. Your questions challenge us. And your presence reminds us that we are not alone.

 

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