U of M to Host Lecture on the Business of Assisted Reproduction
| WHAT: |
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Building a Better Baby Business: What's Wrong with the Market for Assisted
Reproduction and How to Make it Better
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| WHO: |
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Deborah Spar, Ph.D., senior associate dean at Harvard Business School
Commentators:
- Michele Goodwin, J.D., University of Minnesota Law School
- Christopher DeJonge, Ph.D., University of Minnesota Reproductive Medicine Center
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| WHEN: |
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Wednesday, December 12, 2007
|11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
| WHERE: |
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Coffman Memorial Union Theater
300 Washington Ave. S.E.
Minneapolis |
| WHY: |
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In the United States alone, assisted reproduction generates annual revenues of more than $4 billion. Would-be parents have a tremendous array of options, including advanced techniques for in vitro fertilization (IVF), use of sperm banks, and access to egg donors. In the process, they can expect to pay anywhere from $13,000, the average price for a single cycle of IVF, to $250,000, the cost of repeated cycles with high-end donor eggs and advanced techniques.
Spar will describe the current status of the assisted reproduction business and outline some of the major problems it poses. She will also discuss avenues for appropriate public policy.
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| BACKGROUND: |
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Spar is the Spangler family professor and senior associate dean at Harvard Business School. Her current research examines the politics of reproductive science, analyzing how the "baby business" has developed and how commerce, politics, and technology are likely to interact in and affect this market. Spar is the author of numerous articles published in academic and public policy journals such as the Harvard Business Review, Foreign Affairs, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Her latest book, The Baby Business: How Money, Science, and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception, was published by Harvard Business School Press.
The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Registration is available by phone at 612-626-5624 or by email at lawvalue@umn.edu.
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The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.
Contacts: Jenna Langer, Academic Health Center, 612-626-4784, lang0712@umn.edu
Molly Portz, Academic Health Center, 612-625-2640, mportz@umn.edu
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