The ASRM Scientific Congress and Expo continued Tuesday, October 25, 2022, with plenary sessions and workshops. Renowned lecturers and reproductive medicine professionals highlighted the most recent breakthroughs in reproductive medicine. Advocacy and policy featured prominently, and specialists struggled to discover answers, learn, and network.
Over 4,000 Participants.
Over 4,000 multidisciplinary professionals from around the world attended ASRM’s first in-person Congress since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The American Stork team was very eager to network with medical professionals and assisted reproduction technology practitioners in creating pathways for more patient-accessible tools to take ownership of our reproductive health and in developing advocacy tools to advocate for reproductive justice.
Because the terminology was so complicated, some issues could sometimes be easier to grasp. For example, we attended a keynote address titled “Telomere Maintenance in the Context of Human Aging Process,” presented by Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Helen Blackburn.
Tough medical topics made easy to understand.
Did the presentation use complicated language? Yes. We persevered regardless, and you might wonder why.
Consider this: if you stop to ask questions and learn directly from experts as we did in the hallways, it becomes clear that we can all work together to produce simple language. We can take tough medical topics and simplify them to make them very understandable.
Expo Hall Morning Activities.
During our morning rounds, we attended a disaster preparedness session by the Society of Reproductive Biologists and Technologists (SRBT) and the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (SREI). The main takeaway was that we are relieved to hear that professionals are working on ways to protect the storage of our embryos, eggs, sperm, and other tissues.
The expo hall was buzzing with lively discussions between companies and attendees. There were 660 posters on display in the Poster Hall, 272 oral abstracts, and 17 video abstracts featured.
Special Session Afternoon.
An essential part of our Tuesday afternoon was a special seminar called “What Now? Navigating Abortion, Personhood, and IVF in a Post-Roe World.” ASRM president Marcelle Cedars moderated a renowned lineup of speakers, which began with opening remarks by Dr. Jamila Perritt, President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health.
Dr. Perrit urged the audience to recognize race, economics, age, ethnicity, and nationality when considering solutions. She proposed that reproductive justice, on the other hand, places reproductive rights within a social justice context and human rights framework while discussing the roles of reproductive health science in the service of communities and reproductive rights movements in protecting access to reproductive services.
Health Disparities and Reproductive Justice.
When examining disparities, it becomes increasingly clear those communities that experience the brunt of inequity are also those marginalized by healthcare.
“Individual and community experiences with contraception, abortion, and pregnancy decision-making don’t occur in a vacuum,” Dr. Perritt powerfully stated. A complex network of social, political, and historical contexts in which people live impacts experiences. You can only address one by addressing the other. Disparities are not random occurrences but rather the result of systemic and structural injustices determined by power and privilege.
Dr. Perritt challenged the audience to use a reproductive justice paradigm to address the complicated issues facing access to reproductive healthcare.
Laws Post Dobbs v. Jackson.
Next up was Harvard professor I. Glenn Cohen, one of the world’s foremost authorities on the convergence of bioethics (sometimes known as “medical ethics”) and the law and health law.
He said, “The reproductive technology community has always had a complicated relationship with the larger reproductive justice movement, and abortion specifically,” and the issue has finally come to a head.
He clarified the current legal consequences for all reproductive health, including access to IVF, of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which repeals a constitutional right to abortion.
Policy & Advocacy Time.
Sean B. Tipton, Chief Advocacy, Policy, and Development Officer at ASRM, spoke as the last speaker. He discussed what ASRM had been working on before and after the Dobbs ruling. Following an extensive overview of advocacy initiatives, he joined the other speakers in urging everyone to get involved in advocacy.
While IVF remains legal for the moment in all 50 states, there will be a prolonged period of ambiguity. The situation is subject to swift change, and Mr. Timpton promised assistance from his office to keep us all updated as we steadfastly fight abortion restrictions.
And they welcomed questions from the audience and discussion at the end of the presentation. In summary, all speakers encouraged members and attendees to get involved in public policy advocacy. It was clear that there were numerous possibilities for civic engagement.
Giving Day Raised $30,000 & Other Good News.
ASRM 2022 covered several themes, such as improving access to care and boosting diversity in reproductive medicine. For example, the pilot Pipeline Mentorship Program, developed in collaboration with the Charles Drew School of Medicine, was hugely successful. We will discuss this pilot program in a future piece.
This year, ASRM offered attendees brand-new opportunities for interaction and education, including the Business of Medicine track, ASRMed Talks, Live QBoost, and the All In Reception.
Participants in the second annual Giving Day raised approximately $30,000 for the ASRM Research Institute, which funds policy and, more significantly, access to care research.
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