Reproduction, families, and healthcare
This research focuses on ethical issues at the intersection of parents, families, reproduction and health. Topics include ethical and legal issues in the development of reproductive technologies, the provision and funding of assisted reproductive technologies, reproductive screening, conceptions of good parenthood, parental mental health, parental decision making, and the ethics of antenatal and maternity care.
The Centre has a special interest and expertise in the ethics and sociology of fatherhood.
Selected work
Conversations with fathers is a project lead by Ives, funded by the Brigstow Institute, that aims to form partnerships with local organisations and services to promote conversations about fatherhood. The project is based on the idea that we need to talk more, and more realistically, about fatherhood, and aims to create a space for the conversations about fatherhood that it might be difficult to have, as well as showcase and celebrate what is great about fatherhood.
Ives is currently working on various papers around NHS provision of assisted reproduction, fertility preservation, and the development of assisted reproductive technologies.
Deans has undertaken a range of research focussing on non-invasive prenatal genetic testing and she served on a Nuffield Council of Bioethics working party exploring the ethical issues. You can read the full report here.
Parsons, largely in collaboration with Elizabeth Chloe Romanis, has undertaken research on the (potential) use of telemedicine in the provision of abortion care.