Sheetal Soni & Françoise Baylis | June 7, 2021

Five  years ago, independent research teams in the U.S. and the U.K. succeeded in cultivating human embryos in the laboratory for 12-to-13 days – longer than ever before. They could have continued their research but didn’t. They stopped because of the broad international consensus that such research should not be permitted beyond 14 days.

Françoise Baylis | May 27, 2021

The 14-day rule, also known as the 14-day limit, “became a standard part of embryo-research oversight through the convergence of deliberations of various national committees over decades.” Until now, the ISSCR guidelines have been in lockstep with laws, regulations and guidelines endorsing the 14-day limit. No more.

Françoise Baylis & Alana Cattapan | April 2, 2018

In Canada, it’s illegal to pay for the services of a surrogate mother or to purchase human gametes — sperm and eggs. These prohibitions are entrenched in the Assisted Human Reproduction Act. Some Liberal members of Parliament want to change this.

Françoise Baylis | April 2, 2018

Françoise Baylis argues that the focus on “criminalization” in recent Canadian debates about payment for surrogacy is a serious distraction aimed at ignoring the critical issue of “commodification.”

Françoise Baylis  | May 19, 2017

Françoise Baylis comments on the ethics of using gametes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells for future human reproduction.

Françoise Baylis  | December 8, 2014

Women who get pregnant without using technology typically have one baby at a time. Women who use technology such as fertility drugs or in vitro Fertilization (IVF) are at increased risk of getting pregnant with twins, triplets or more. While this may seem like good news for women who might not otherwise get pregnant, multiple pregnancies are bad news.