New Reproductive Technologies And The Science Industry Education And Social Welfare Systems In Canada

This document presents papers on the following topics: an overview of the science and technology system; an overview of select social and economic forces influencing the development of in vitro fertilization and related assisted reproductive techniques; an overview of commercial involvement in new reproductive technologies; the role of the biotechnology industry in the development of clinical diagnostic materials for prenatal diagnosis; a report on a survey of members of the pharmaceutical manufacturers association of Canada and biotechnology companies; the potential role of schools in promoting reproductive health and understanding of new reproductive technologies; and social welfare and new reproductive technologies.

Patient organizations and social health movements offer one of the most important and illuminating examples of civil society engagement and participation in scientific research and research politics. Influencing the research agenda, and initiating, funding and accelerating the development of diagnostic tools, effective therapies and appropriate health-care for their area of interest, they may champion alternative, sometimes controversial, programs or critique dominant medical paradigms. Some movements and organizations advocate for medical recognition of contested illnesses, as with fibromyalgia orADHD, while some attempt to "de-medicalize" others, such as obesity or autism. Bringing together an international selection of leading scholars and representatives from patients' organizations, this comprehensive collection explores the interaction between civil society groups and biomedical science, technology development, and research politics. It takes stock of the key findings of the research conducted in the field over the past two decades and addresses emerging problems and future challenges concerning the interrelations between health movements and patient organisations on the one hand, and biomedical research and research policies on the other hand. Combining empirical case studies with conceptual discussion, the book discusses how public participation can contribute to, as well as restrict, the democratization of scientific knowledge production. This volume is an important reference for academics and researchers with an interest in the sociology of health and illness, science and technology studies, the sociology of knowledge, medical ethics or healthcare management and research, as well as medical researchers and those involved with health-related civil society organizations.

Health activist, scholar, award-winning journalist, and cancer survivor Sharon Batt investigates the relationship between patient advocacy groups and the pharmaceutical industry as well as the contentious role of pharma funding. Over the past several decades, a gradual reduction in state funding has pressured patient groups into forming private-sector partnerships. This analysis of Canada’s breast cancer movement from 1990 to 2010 shows that the resulting power imbalance undermined the groups’ ability to put patients’ interests ahead of those of the funders. A movement that once encouraged democratic participation in the development of health policy now eerily echoes the demands of the pharmaceutical industry.

This volume includes studies on the Canadian health care system; a literature review that provides a framework for technology decisions; assessment of available data from randomized clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of given treatments by specific indications; the adverse health effects of drugs used for ovulation induction; changes in evaluation of in vitro fertilization; the cost-effectiveness of an in vitro fertilization program and the costs of associated hospitalizations and other infertility treatments; public preferences toward an in vitro fertilization program and the effect of the program on patients' quality of life; the health of the children involved; and a feasibility study of the epidemiology, efficacy, outcomes, and direct costs of infertility treatment in Saskatchewan from 1978-90.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women all contain certain principles which Canada, as a party to these treaties, is obligated to respect. This paper identifies those substantive rights which may be applicable to the area of new reproductive technologies, and suggests avenues for research to determine their implications for what legislatures may do within the terms and spirit of the conventions by which Canada is bound. The right to life; to liberty and security; to marry and found a family; to private and family life; to information and education; to reproductive health and health care; to the benefits of scientific progress; and to sexual non-discrimination, may all have relevance to the field of new reproductive technologies.

From the beginning, the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies was committed to learning about and understanding the social values and attitudes of Canadians. Commissioners felt that these values and attitudes, which are not static but evolve over time, provide a vital context for decision making about the technologies and must be considered in recommendations of policy in this area.

"The scope, diversity, and complexity of the legal issues raised by new reproductive technologies required that the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies undertake studies in a wide range of areas to examine the legal implications of the technologies. This volume provides an overview of various legal approaches to the entire body of technologies in the Commission's mandate."--