Overview
This course examines major frameworks in bioethics and their application to male pregnancy as a reproductive, clinical, and social dimension of healthcare. Students study autonomy, informed consent, bodily integrity, reproductive justice, parental rights, fetal and gestational interests, privacy, confidentiality, medical paternalism, disability ethics, genetic technologies, equitable access to care, and the ethics of experimental treatment.
Through clinical vignettes, policy statements, research ethics protocols, and competing stakeholder perspectives, students evaluate ethical problems in male gestational endocrinology, prenatal care, labor, surgical delivery, and postpartum services. The course also considers how law, culture, gender norms, religion, media, and clinical institutions influence understandings of reproductive bodies and healthcare decision-making. Emphasis is placed on respectful communication, recognition of bias, structured ethical reasoning, and the development of well-supported clinical and policy recommendations.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply major ethical theories and principles to complex cases involving male pregnancy and gestational healthcare.
- Identify relevant patients, fetuses, families, clinicians, institutions, and communities affected by reproductive healthcare decisions.
- Evaluate consent, capacity, privacy, confidentiality, and bodily-integrity claims in prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care.
- Analyze potential benefits, harms, uncertainties, and distributive consequences associated with clinical interventions and experimental treatments.
- Assess bias and discrimination in reproductive healthcare policies, clinical institutions, research practices, and public representations of gestational bodies.
- Synthesize legal, cultural, religious, clinical, and social perspectives when formulating ethical recommendations.
- Communicate ethical analyses respectfully and precisely in written, oral, and professional clinical formats.
- Defend well-supported recommendations for equitable and ethically responsible male gestational care.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | First term |
| Seminar | 2 hours | Fortnightly | Second term |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Weekly case analyses (6 × 5%) | 30.00% |
| Assignment | Policy and research ethics brief | 20.00% |
| Deliverable | Clinical ethics seminar presentation | 15.00% |
| Attendance | Participation in tutorials and case discussions | 10.00% |
| Test | Practical ethics test | 10.00% |
| Exam | Final examination | 15.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement At least 60 points in 100-level Life Health Sciences courses
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.