A new understanding of responsibility in the ethics of human reproduction

Prenatal testing technologies and medical interventions are transforming the experience of pregnancy, especially the relationship between the pregnant woman and the fetus. In doing so, these increasingly routine technologies raise difficult ethical questions for prospective parents and the Australian community. This project generates a new theory of reproductive responsibility that accounts for the ethical significance of the maternal-fetal relationship. It will resolve key problems in reproductive ethics, and build Australia's capacity to address the moral and policy dilemmas that arise with advances in reproductive medicine and technology. It will help to ensure a healthy start to life for all Australians.