The story of the birth of octuplets to a California woman last week has become a hot topic as new details emerge about the woman herself. Now the mother 14 children, it is being asked if she should have had access to IVF at all. Udo Schuklenk, professor of Philosophy at Queen’s University specializes in bioethics and can speak about some of the questions raised by this birth. Should someone who already has that many children have chosen to have another IVF cycle? Should a child's likely future play a role in such decision-making? Have the doctors who participated behaved professionally? And should public health care systems finance such individuals' demands for access to IVF?Annette Burfoot, professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at Queen’s University, specializes in reproductive technologies and women’s reproductive rights, and can offer a different viewpoint on this story. Should fertility experts be able to control women’s access to reproductive technologies? Should a woman’s marital status or class affect her ability to access fertility treatments?
To arrange an interview with Udo Schuklenk or Annette Burfoot, please contact Stephanie Earp at 613-533-6000 ext. 79173 or via email at stephanie.earp@queensu.ca  or Jeff Drake at 613-533-2877 or via email at jeff.drake@queensu.ca