Bioethics – Family Council

Surrogate Babies Stranded in Kyiv Bomb Shelter Amid War

Mar 16, 2022Jerry CoxBioethics, SurrogacyBioethics, Commercial Surrogacy, Surrogacy

*Above: A screenshot from the BBC’s report.*

The BBC reported Wednesday that at least 21 babies born through surrogacy are stuck in a bomb shelter nursery in Kyiv while the war rages in Ukraine.

The story underscores yet another example of the unintended consequences tied to commercial surrogacy.

Unfortunately, commercial surrogacy is a big business in parts of eastern Europe and Asia. Couples from western nations can contract with companies — like BioTexCom in Ukraine — who hire women to bear children as surrogates.

In 2020, World News reported dozens of newborn babies born through commercial surrogacy were stranded in a Kyiv hotel due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Commercial surrogacy treats babies like products that people can buy or sell, and it treats women like commodities.

Many nations prohibit commercial surrogacy, because it is linked to the exploitation of women and children.

Unfortunately Arkansas’ commercial surrogacy laws are very lax.

Since 2017, Family Council has actively supported legislation to prohibit commercial surrogacy in Arkansas. So far that legislation has not passed.

Human beings are not products that can be bought or sold. That’s why Family Council opposes commercial surrogacy — and will continue to oppose it.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Invitro Heartbreak

Jan 17, 2022Guest AuthorBioethicsBioethics, Invitro

Last week, The Wall Street Journal published the heartbreaking story of a 27-year-old man who died from a drug overdose back in 2020. Steven Gunner was conceived through the use of a sperm donor. He also struggled with schizophrenia.

After his death, his mom and adoptive dad reached out to other children who were also fathered by Steven’s donor, in order to let them know that their son’s mental illness may have been genetically inherited.

Their research confirmed that the sperm donor — known to them as just a number — had also suffered from schizophrenia, had also died by a drug overdose, and had not disclosed his mental health issues on health history forms – which American sperm clinics are not required to verify.

The Gunners’ research also revealed that Steven’s father has at least 18 other children.

It’s unknown whether they also inherited schizophrenia from the father, but the Gunners’ tragedy is yet another chapter in the larger story of assisted reproduction: when we rip apart God’s design for families, there is pain in every direction.

Conway Regional Hospital Denies Allegations in Religious Discrimination Lawsuit, Asks Court to Dismiss Claims

Dec 31, 2021Jerry CoxBioethics, COVID-19Abortion, Bioethics, COVID-19, Vaccines

*Above: The religious exemption attestation form that Conway Regional Health System rolled out in September.*

Attorneys for Conway Regional Medical Center have asked a judge to dismiss most of the allegations raised in a religious discrimination lawsuit brought against the hospital in October.

Research and development for the COVID-19 vaccines used cells that originated from aborted babies. As a result, some pro-lifers have objections to the COVID-19 vaccines, because of the vaccines’ connection to abortion.

In September Conway Regional made headlines after the hospital announced that employees who wanted a religious exemption because of the COVID-19 vaccine’s connection to abortion would also have to sign a form attesting that the employees would not use other medicines — such as Tylenol and Tums — that have been tested on aborted fetal tissue.

In October six individuals who are past or present employees of Conway Regional filed a lawsuit against the hospital.

According to the lawsuit, all six of the plaintiffs are Christians who have religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccine.

In an amended complaint filed on December 9, attorneys for the six plaintiffs provided the court with emails from Conway Regional’s CEO regarding the vaccine mandate.

The amended complaint alleges that one of the emails from Conway Regional’s CEO “equated employees who request religious exemptions from [the medical center’s] mandatory COVID vaccine policy with draft dodgers.”

Attorneys for the hospital responded to the amended complaint on Wednesday, generally denying the allegations and asking the court to dismiss all but two of the plaintiffs’ claims against Conway Regional.

Time will tell whether or not the court decides to dismiss any part of the religious discrimination lawsuit against Conway Regional Medical Center.

In September the Arkansas Legislature passed two identical laws addressing COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The laws require employers to provide certain accommodations for employees who decline to get vaccinated.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office also has joined multiple lawsuits against the Biden Administration’s federal vaccine mandates.

Family Council has a long history of supporting exemptions from vaccine mandates in Arkansas.

We don’t oppose immunizations, but we do believe people’s rights of conscience ought to be respected when it comes to getting vaccinated. Our laws should protect people from being forced to violate their conscience.