Mission
The Canada Research Chair in Third-Party Reproduction and Family Ties aims to develop a comprehensive and integrative understanding of the ways in which families are started with the help of third-parties, including surrogates, gamete donors and embryo donors. The Chair brings together a team of researchers, post-doctoral fellows and students whose work generates knowledge about these families. This knowledge is then be mobilized to support the well-being of all parties, develop innovative practices and inform public policy decisions.
While we do not have precise data, it is estimated that some 12,000 children are born each year thanks to gamete and embryo donation and surrogacy in Canada. This is not surprising, as one in six couples will encounter fertility issues that may lead them to seek third-party reproductive assistance, and more and more LGBTQ+ couples and single people are having children in this ways.
Very few studies document the articulation of family ties among people connected through assisted reproduction. The Chair seeks to answers the many questions that arise in this context. For example, do two children who are not genetically linked but who were carried by the same surrogate see themselves as brother and sister? How do the parents of a sperm or egg donor perceive themselves in relation to the child who is conceived thanks to that donation and who shares a part of their genetic heritage?
Topic #1
Describing families’ trajectories and experiences with third-party reproduction
Our work in this area of research highlights currently understudied third-party reproduction dynamics and trajectories. Firstly, we document individuals’ experiences of parental projects with third-party assistance in unregulated contexts (e.g. informal sperm donation). Secondly, we examine how third-party reproduction fits into extended family ties (e.g. relationships between grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren) and analyze the experiences of children and adolescents conceived through third-party reproduction.
Topic #2
Examining how intermediaries shape and influence third-party reproduction trajectories
We focus on the role of intermediaries (e.g. agencies), who are understudied but key actors, to examine their influence on how the process of third-party reproduction takes shape and unfolds, especially with regards to transnational surrogacy. In so doing, we also seek to examine intermediaries’ practices influence the experiences of the individuals involved (i. e. the parents and the surrogate).
Topic #3
Mobilizing knowledge for better practices and public policy
This research area fosters the development of activities that offer guidance to practitioners and decision-makers on the management of best practices. Our aim is to contribute to the development of better interventions and public policies that meet the needs of families, third parties and children.