Family Law Prof Blog

Designer Babies? Most Say "No Thanks"

From the International Business Times:

American adults have express distrust in regard to the emerging field of biomedical technologies used for human enhancement. A survey completed by the Pew Research Center found that many Americans fear a world where "designer babies" are common. This kind of science, while relatively new, still has the ability to become more pronounced in every day life in the very near future. 

Many of those surveyed, even when questioned about using the technologies toward solving health crises, were concerned about widening the gap between "haves" and "have nots" due to the anticipated expenses that would likely arise in utilizing these new scientific therapies.

Read more here.

California foster parents continue fight for Indian girl

Foster Parents Continued Fight for Custody of Indian Daughter

From Fox News:

The scene was wrenching: A sobbing 6-year-old girl, clutching a stuffed bear as her foster father carries her away from the only home she has known for most of her life.

But Lexi's story didn't end in March when she was removed from a Santa Clarita home near Los Angeles. Her story isn't one of simple emotions but rather complex issues of ethnicity, government, and history.

Lexi, who is 1/64th Choctaw, was placed with distant relatives in Utah under a decades-old federal law designed to keep Native American families together, and under California's Juvenile Dependency Law.

Her foster parents, Rusty and Summer Page, have fought a yearslong battle to keep her.

Read more here.

Male Birth Control Injection Trials are Going Well

From Science Alert:

Trials for a promising form of male birth control will begin on humans later this year with a speculative sale date of 2018. Vasalgel is a fully reversible male birth control, which has had a high rate of success among rabbits. The method also expects fewer potential side effects; such as, hormone disruption.

One large draw to this method of birth control is that the injection into the vas deferens can work for up to one year.

In scientific research, eleven of twelve rabbits were unable to create sperm immediately after injected. The lone rabbit that was still able to create sperm, was unable to create sperm soon after injected. The birth control seems to be easily reversed in trials so far.

Read more here.

Seventy-year Old Woman Gives Birth with IVF Assistance

From CBS News:

Daljinder Kaur, approximately 70 years old, gave birth to a healthy son on April 19. She underwent two years of unsuccessful IVF treatments earlier in her life. She became pregnant with the help of the National Fertility and Test Tube Baby Centre in Haryana, India. Just two years ago, Rajo Devi gave birth at the age of 70, again with help from the same clinic.

The birth of Daljinder Kaur's child creates a discussion on the bioethics of IVF, maternal health, child safety, and cultural parenting norms. 

Read more here.

New Meaning of Early Education

A study published in Psychological Science shows that fetuses regularly hearing two languages are more open to being bilingual.  Read more about the study here.

MR

Hat Tip: Elizabeth Ryznar