PAST EVENT
April 10, 2025
McGill University Faculty of Law, Room 102 of New Chancellor Day Hall
1PM - 2:30PM
Technology, reproductive autonomy, and its limits: The South African experience
Reproductive law sits at the crossroads of personal autonomy, medical innovation, and state regulation. Nowhere is this tension more evident than in South Africa—a country with a strong constitutional commitment to individual freedoms, yet a legal framework that both expands and restricts reproductive rights in unexpected ways. In this lecture, Professor Donrich Thaldar will explore landmark legal battles shaping South African reproductive law, from the constitutional right to procreative freedom to the controversial requirement of a genetic link in surrogacy. He will examine the recent legalisation of preimplantation sex selection, the legal status of gametes and embryos, and the growing role of genetic technologies in reproductive decision-making. With reproductive law at a global crossroads, this talk will challenge conventional assumptions and offer fresh insights into the future of reproductive autonomy.