Whither Reproduction? How to Insert Science into the Debate About How Societies Create Families.

Abstract

It sometimes appears that science is moving in one direction and society is moving in another. When we act as physicians, we are compelled to care for the patient in front of us in a one-on-one relationship. When we act as reproductive scientists, we strive to care for humanity writ large. However, there is an intermediate social structure that we do not always take into account, and that is the social structure of society. This is the framework that we inhabit as individuals and as families. The field of reproductive science has made extraordinary advances that we apply every day in our medical practice. In this discussion, I urge you to contemplate the societal impact of these advances, how we have adapted, and finally how we might inform the public debate about reproduction.