Abstract
In this issue of the American Journal of Bioethics, Bruno and Arora’s Target Article and the Open Peer Commentaries thereto contribute to the ongoing discourse regarding ethical issues in uterine transplantation. We welcome these insights, many of which sit in dialogue with existing work and others of which represent new considerations in uterine transplantation. We are co-investigators on the uterine transplantation research protocol at Cleveland Clinic. Our protocol uses a deceased donor model, and two of us (HM and RF) contribute to the protocol solely in an ethics capacity. As ethicists integrated into the research team, we meet with potential participants to discuss ethical issues that arise at various stages of the research process, support the informed consent process, provide recommendations regarding participant candidacy, and advise the research team regarding the ethical supportability of various aspects of the protocol. One thread that we find notable in the work in this issue is the role that gender and perceptions of women’s motivations play in conceptualizing the ethical issues attendant to uterine transplantation both in its current research incarnation and its potentiality with respect to clinical treatment.