Meeting Summary
Presented on: September 10, 2024
This meeting was presented to the Bioethics Collaborative. The Bioethics Collaborative is a forum to propose, share, and discuss ethical challenges in multi-national clinical trials. Meetings convene individuals from academia, industry, patient/participant groups, ethics committees, government, and others.
Abstract: The September 2024 meeting of the MRCT Center’s Bioethics Collaborative, Impact of Dobbs on Reproductive Health: Unintended Consequences for/on Research, examined how shifting abortion laws in the wake of the Dobbs decision create new risks and ethical challenges for clinical research. Participants discussed the implications for informed consent, site selection, data privacy, and the use of Certificates of Confidentiality (CoCs), particularly in states with restrictive abortion laws. The group explored how legal uncertainty may deter participation, complicate IRB review, and jeopardize data protection for both participants and research staff. The session concluded with recommendations for guidance development, including consent language, institutional training, and privacy safeguards in a rapidly evolving legal landscape.