Legislating Respect: A Pro-choice Feminist Legal Analysis of Embryo Research Restrictions in Canada
Bibliographic record
Abstract
This article investigates the impact of legis- lating respect and dignity for the embryo in vitro on the legal and cultural status of the embryo in utero. It evaluates the restrictions on embryo re- search in Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA) to consider whether they should re- ceive pro-choice feminist support. Specifically, the article explores whether it is possible for feminists to accord respect to the in vitro embryo, as the AHRA attempts to do, without jeopardizing sup- port for abortion. The article canvasses the theoret- ical possibilities of this position by comparing the compatibility of feminist articulations of a right to abortion (bodily integrity and equality) with femi- nist arguments against the expansive use of em- bryos in research (commodification and exploita- tion). The article argues that it is logically compat- ible for feminists to promote “respect” and “dignity” for in vitro embryos while maintaining a pro-choice position on abortion. The article nevertheless cau- tions against feminist support for AHRA as it cur- rently stands given that, on a practical basis, a feminist understanding of the AHRA’s restricted embryo research regime is difficult to achieve in the public sphere. The article explains why the more likely result for the public sphere will be an unqualified discourse of respect and dignity for embryos in general, which could then problemati- cally revive the abortion debate and destabilize the non-personhood status of the in utero embryo. As a remedy, the article provides recommendations for how AHRA should be amended so as to better en- sure that legislative restrictions on embryo re- search signal a legislative intent that respects women’s reproductive autonomy. Cet article étudie l'impact de légiférer sur la question du respect et de la dignité d’un embryon in vitro et sur les statuts juridique et culturel de l'em- bryon dans l'utérus. Il évalue les restrictions aux re- cherches sur les embryons prévues au Canada dans la Loi sur la procréation assistée (LPA) pour déterminer si elles doivent recevoir un soutien des pro-choix fémi- nistes. Plus précisément, l'article examine s'il est pos- sible pour les féministes de respecter l'embryon in vi- tro, ce que tente de faire la LPA, sans mettre en péril le soutien à l'avortement. L'article examine les possi- bilités théoriques de cette position en comparant la compatibilité des articulations féministes d'un droit à l'avortement (intégrité corporelle et égalité) avec des arguments féministes contre l'utilisation large des embryons dans la recherche (marchandisation et ex- ploitation). L'article soutient qu'il est logiquement compatible pour les féministes de promouvoir à la foi « respect » et « dignité » pour les embryons in vitro tout en conservant une position pro-choix en matière d'avortement. L'article met néanmoins en garde contre le soutien féministe pour la LPA sous sa forme actuelle étant donné que, sur le plan pratique, une compréhension féministe des restrictions sur les re- cherches sur les embryons prévues dans la LPA est difficile à réaliser dans la sphère publique. Cet article explique pourquoi le résultat le plus probable pour la sphère publique sera un discours sans réserve de res- pect et de dignité pour les embryons en général, ce qui pourrait alors s’avérer problématique en relançant le débat sur l'avortement et en déstabilisant le statut de non-personnalité de l'embryon dans l’utérus. Pour y remédier, l'article fournit des recommandations sur la façon dont la LPA doit être modifiée afin de mieux ga- rantir que les restrictions législatives sur la recherche sur l'embryon reflètent une intention du législateur qui respecte l'autonomie reproductive des femmes.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.006 | 0.011 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.002 | 0.003 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.031 | 0.027 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.013 | 0.003 |
| Open science | 0.003 | 0.006 |
| Research integrity | 0.005 | 0.008 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.005 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".