Technology, reproductive autonomy, and its limits: South African experience
April 10th, 2025, 12h45-14h30, in person and on Zoom.
Donrich Thaldar is a full professor of law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, where he chairs the Health Law & Ethics Research Interest Group. He is currently principal investigator of an NIH-funded project that investigates the legal aspects of data science in health innovation in Africa. Professor Thaldar also has a private law practice, where he specializes in strategic litigation in reproductive law (reprolaw). Before starting his academic career in 2017, he practiced as an advocate at the Pretoria Bar. He served as legal counsel or as amicus curiae in several landmark cases in the field of reprolaw in South Africa. Some highlights are: The first case that considered the concept 鈥榙esigner children鈥� (2016); the first case of posthumous conception (2018); the first case of gamete withdrawal from a comatose person (2020); and the first case about the enforceability of a sperm donor agreement (2021); and a successful legal challenge to the constitutionality of the statutory prohibition on nonmedical preimplantation sex selection (2022).
In this joint event by the Research Group on Health and Law, and the Center for Genomics and Policy, Professor Donrich Thaldar explored 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 examined 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.
