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Creators: Brian, Jennifer

The Market For Bodies: Investigating the Landscape of Nontransplant Anatomical Donation Organizations

Description

While there is extensive information available about organizations that receive donated organs for transplant, much less is known about those that accept tissue and whole bodies for medical education and research. Throughout the United States, nontransplant anatomical donation organizations exist within an ambiguous sector of the donation industry, unencumbered by federal regulations. Although these companies adhere to the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, the lack of a single entity responsible for overseeing their operations has led to public skepticism and animosity among competing businesses. Legislation has the potential to legitimize the industry. For it to be successful, however, the intricacies of a complex market that deals directly with the movement of human remains and intangible issues of human integrity and morality, must be thoroughly understood.

ContributorsGlynn, Emily Sanders (Author) / Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Fisher, Rebecca (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)

Created2015-05

Commodifying the Womb: Ethical Concerns of Assisted Reproductive Technologies through a Marxist Lens

Description

Whether legal, banned or unregulated, states and nations are reconsidering the morality and legality of the practice of surrogacy. Though many advocate for the absolute right to this practice, there are serious ethical concerns about the practice of surrogacy. Using critical theory, this thesis examines the relationships between the systems and people who have fostered a space where assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) thrive. A theoretical analysis of Karl Marx and his literature on women and reproduction adds more comprehensive depth to the last four decades of literature on surrogacy. I respond to Marx and contemporary researchers with a recommendation: surrogacy should be regulated (and not necessarily banned) across states and nations. I also suggest that future discussions should point to market-inalienability as a tool to guide discussion on the state of surrogacy. I argue surrogacy is synonymous with purchasing children. If we are able to have clearer conversations about the ways in which children are treated as commodities, then we can start to understand the ways in which other forms of conception and childbearing practices are also problematic and exploitative.

ContributorsGrabowski, Hannah Kathleen (Author) / Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Suk, Mina (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2018-05

My Contraceptive Choice: A Decision Support Tool for College Women

Description

Contraceptive methods are vital in maintaining women’s health and preventing unintended pregnancy. When a woman uses a method that reflects her personal preferences and lifestyle, the chances of low adoption and misuse decreases. The research aim of this project is to develop a web-based decision aid tailored to college women that assists in the selection of contraceptive methods. For this reason, My Contraceptive Choice (MCC) is built using the gaps identified in existing resources provided by Planned Parenthood and Bedsider, along with feedback from a university student focus group. The tool is a short quiz that is followed by two pages of information and resources for a variety of different contraceptive methods commonly used by college women. The evaluation phase of this project includes simulated test cases, a Google Forms survey, and a second focus group to assess the tool for accuracy and usability. From the survey, 130 of the 150 (80.7%) responses believe that the recommendations provided can help them select a birth control method. Furthermore, 136 of the 150 (90.0%) responses believe that the layout of the tool made it easy to navigate. The second focus group feedback suggests that the MCC tool is perceived to be accurate, usable, and useful to the college population. Participants believe that the MCC tool performs better overall compared to the Planned Parenthood quiz in creating a customized recommendation and Bedsider in overall usability. The test cases reveal that there are further improvements that could be made to create a more accurate recommendation to the user. In conclusion, the new MCC tool accomplishes the aim of creating a beneficial resource to college women in assisting with the birth control selection process.

ContributorsRedman, Molly (Author) / Wang, Dongwen (Thesis director) / Brian, Jennifer (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05