The Tale of Assisted Human Reproduction Canada: A Tragedy in Five Acts

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Keywords

Assisted Human Reproduction, Canada, Genesis, Life, Death, Supreme Court of Canada, Reference re Assisted Human Reproduction Act, Critique

Abstract

In the spring of 2012, Assisted Human Reproduction Canada (AHRC)—the federal agency tasked with the oversight of assisted human reproduction in Canada—was abolished through the passage of the omnibus budget bill. This ignominious end was in part a response to the Supreme Court of Canada’s Reference re Assisted Human Reproduction Act. However, as we recount in this article, it was also a result of a series of squandered opportunities to regulate assisted human reproduction in the interests of those who use or are born of assisted human reproductive technologies. This article details the genesis, life, and death of the AHRC. We conclude that many millions of public dollars and many hours of experts’ time have been spent, all for naught.

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