Session 130: CRYOGOVERNANCE® VII
Ethical considerations and management of cryostorage samples
Tuesday, 26th March (3 pm EDT / 7 pm UK / 8 pm CET)
Synopsis:
The webinar on March 26, 2024, explored complex reproductive ethics issues, including disputes over frozen embryos and the ethics of postmortem reproduction. Legal experts James Lawford Davies and Adam B. Wolf, along with embryologist Dr. Christine Allen, moderated and presented on topics like "Frozen assets: embryo disputes and posthumous use.". Prof. Guido Pennings discussed the ethics of post-mortem reproduction and other ethical issues surrounding ART.
The webinar examined in a round table discussion the events around recent legal issues around human embryos in the USA and global perspectives on the recent Alabama ruling regarding when cells become a person and its implications for IVF.
A interactive Q&A session followed the presentations.
Moderators:
James Lawford Davies and Dr. Christine Allen
Panelist:
Adam B. Wolf
Presenting:
Frozen assets: embryo disputes and posthumous use
James Lawford Davies
Life after death: ethics of postmortem reproduction
Prof. Guido Pennings
Discussion:
Global perspectives on the Alabama ruling, IVF and when cells become a person
Q and A
James Lawford Davies
James is a partner at Lawford Davies & Co, a law firm with offices in the UK and Germany.
James specialises in life sciences regulation and litigation. He has a particular interest in human tissue and cell based therapies, and related research. He advises a large number of clinics, hospitals, universities and research centres licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). He has been involved in most of the leading cases relating to IVF, embryo research, genetics and stem cell research.
James is an experienced litigator and has been involved in cases at every level in the UK courts. Much of his work concerns the judicial review of regulatory bodies, and cases arising as a result of regulatory action.
Dr. Christine Allen
Dr. Christine Allen is a certified embryologist and andrologist who has travelled the world developing and teaching leading edge vitrification and lab automation technologies, building IVF clinics and implementing new technologies as state-of-art egg banking, non-invasive PGTA and data analytics for success improvement. Christine’s research in cryopreservation, vitrification techniques and fertilization has been published in several leading industry journals and she has presented her findings at ASRM, ESHRE and American Board of Bioanalysts (ABB) among others. She has a proven track record of the direct implementation of embroyology lab management, quality control procedures, andrology testing, outside clinician consulting and is an expert in US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), American Association of Bioanalysts AAB and ASRM laboratory standards. She is also fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian, directing labs around the world in their native languages.
Dr. Allen has exemplary diligence, expertise in her field, commitment to pursuit of excellence in patient outcomes, and a fervent focus on advancing reproductive medicine through research studies. With these impressive characteristics, Dr. Allen provide laudable leadership by demonstrating her values of respect, integrity, self-awareness, and empathy. Her goals are achieved by fostering an environment of teamwork, trust, and accountability. As a mentor, she has designed a horizontal hierarchy whereby all staff are encouraged and confident to contribute to problem solving and continual improvement. Dr. Allen engages her team by offering respect, appreciation, inspiration, support, and empowerment. Her leadership approach allows for camaraderie, optimal productivity, and high achievement.
Adam B. Wolf
Adam Wolf is a Partner with the American-based law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise. Mr. Wolf has argued legal cases in the United States Supreme Court and numerous courts of appeals.
Mr. Wolf graduated, with honors, from the University of Michigan Law School and Amherst College. Following law school, he served as a judicial law clerk to two federal judges.
Mr. Wolf started one of the very first legal practices concerning fertility litigation. His law firm and he have represented more than 1000 people against their fertility clinics and the manufacturers of products used in clinics. Mr. Wolf has led numerous groundbreaking lawsuits that have resulted in significant reforms at fertility clinics.
A nationally recognized litigator, Mr. Wolf has been quoted about fertility matters in hundreds of domestic and international newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Additionally, he has appeared on numerous television programs, including Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News.
Prof. Guido Pennings
Emeritus professor of ethics and bioethics at Ghent University (Belgium) where he is also the director of the Bioethics Institute Ghent (BIG). He has published extensively on ethical issues related to medically assisted reproduction and genetics. He is past coordinator of the Special Interest Group on Ethics and Law of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), member of the National Advisory Committee on Bioethics in Belgium since 1996, chair of the Federal Commission on Medical and Scientific Research on Human Embryos in vitro, and advisor to the World Health Organisation (WHO).