On Demand Video

The Designer Baby: Legal and Ethical Issues Related to Biotechnology, Cloning and Genetic Modification

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This course examines how modern reproductive technology like cloning, genetic modification and eugenics has created a host of new legal and ethical questions that are currently being debated in the courts and legislative bodies throughout the United States. A panel of experts will illuminate all sides of the debate and discuss how reproductive technologies may affect abortion rules, agreements between (potential) parents, and control of reproductive tissue. The panel will also discuss how advancements in human genomics affect the duty to save a fetus, cloning, and medical privacy and discrimination. In this course, participants will:

Better understand the legal debate regarding how new bio-technology might affect pre-birth parental decisions.

Discover the different sides to the legal and ethical debate concerning emerging biotechnologies such as cloning and genetic modification.

PRICE: $129.00


9:30-10:30am		Do I Need a Lawyer to Have a Baby? In this segment, a panel of experts will discuss the various legal and ethical arguments concerning how technological reproductive advances (frozen embryos, artificial wombs, etc.) has redefined “viability”; altered the person-property continuum; and affected abortion rules, the definition of personhood, and agreements between parents.
10:30-11:30am		Eugenics, Cloning, and Privacy In this section, experts will illuminate legal and ethical debates concerning the human genome project, genetic cloning, and parents’ increasing ability to anticipate and modify genetically-based birth results (“design” a child). Some of the questions explored in this section include: When is the genetic modification of fetuses legal? How does genetic testing impact abortion rules? Is any type of cloning legal (humans vs. animals; tissue vs. organism)? Can anyone discriminate based on a child’s genetic information?

Jeffrey Stec

Jeffrey Stec, J.D. has been a licensed lawyer since 1992, having practiced in the area of complex-family matters, including estate, divorce, and child custody disputes. Jeff developed his collaborative skills by becoming a certified mediator and strategic planning facilitator, specializing in family issues. Jeff has developed an expertise in the collaborative resolution of disputes, and in addition to his work with The Likeable Lawyer, he is currently a sought-after consultant who works with non-profits and municipalities to fashion solutions to complex organizational and community issues. Jeffrey graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with high honors from the University of Michigan.

Sander Rabin

A former ophthalmic surgeon and biomedical patent attorney, Sander Rabin, MD, JD speaks, writes, and consults on the ethical, legal, and policy implications of human enhancement, artificial intelligence and transhumanism. He is the executive director of The Center for Transhuman Jurisprudence, Inc. a not-for-profit organization he founded, whose mission is to educate and empower people in making the choices that are and will be available to them in enhancing their minds, bodies, genomes, longevity, and progeny.

Linda Glenn

Linda MacDonald Glenn is an attorney, bioethics professor, and futurist. Her research encompasses the legal, ethical, and social impact of exponential technologies and "evolving notions of personhood." She holds appointments at the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical Center and California State University Monterey Bay. Linda is a Fellow at the Institute for Emerging Technologies, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and she has lectured at Singularity University. Linda pioneered in the area of bioethics law, with the U.S. Supreme Court, in Cruzan vs. Director, Missouri Dept. of Health, citing one of her cases. She has advised governmental leaders and agencies and published numerous articles including Ethical Issues in Transgenics and Genetic Engineering at Actionbioscience.org, Human-Machine Mergers (or the Cyborgs Cometh), Issues in Regenerative Nanomedicine and The Moveable Feast: Legal, Ethical and Social Implications of Converging Technologies On Our Dinner Tables. She has made numerous media appearances, including the History Channel, Science Channel, and NPR.

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Credit Reporting

Our courses are approved in almost all states that have CLE requirements. Accreditation for a particular course will vary by state. Please use our CLE calculator for CLE credit available in your state. For more information, visit our FAQ.

"Very eye-opening and informative!"

Christina Hanna,
Sheppard Mullin

"Easily the most interesting CLE I've had in years. I recommend it to anyone in any law field."

David Hanson,
Manley Deas Kochaiski

"The class content exceeded my expectations with an unusual and effective approach to increase success and satisfaction as a lawyer by identifying challenges and taking responsibility for resolving them."

Linda Jane Smith,
O'Melveny & Myers

"The course incorporates timeless principles from psychology and philosophy to inform and educate the legal practice. Fascinating class."

Adam Freed,
Proskauer Rose

"The class content exceeded my expectations and caused me to think about the kind of person I come across as, which is important but not a subject lawyers are usually trained on."

John Lamb, Attorney,
Caterpillar Financial Services