In a grey zone: The ethics of advanced paternal age

Objectives

We can distinguish the objectives of the residency project and the ones of the larger research program on advanced paternal age (APA).

The research project planned for the residency has for main objective to map the normative landscape of APA from a public health ethics perspective.

• Specific objective 1.1: to determine if we have a collective responsibility to respond to APA.
• Specific objective 1.2: to analyse if we have a duty toward future generations because of the transgenerational consequences of APA.
• Specific objective 1.3: to evaluate the ethical value of the main interventions proposed to limit the negative consequences of the trend toward APA.

The research program in which the present project take place is aiming at developing an ethical framework for APA.

• Specific objective 2.1: to explore the individual issues of APA.
• Specific objective 2.2: to examine the collective issues of APA.
• Specific objective 2.3: to propose recommendations to contribute to the development of fair policies for APA.

Expected outcomes

We expect different outcomes from the research project that we will conduct during our residency. First, this project will develop knowledge on bioethical issues related to the collective aspect of APA. These reflections will contribute to the ongoing discussions on the topic. It will also offer guidance for the development of various public health interventions aiming at responding to the trend toward building families later in life. At last, it will lead to the submission of one article to an important journal in the field of bioethics (i.e., Public Health Ethics).

The project will contribute to the larger research program on the ethics of APA. Precisely, it will participate to the specific objective 2.2 seeking “to examine the collective issues of APA” and the specific objective 2.3 aiming at proposing “recommendations to contribute to the development of fair policies for APA.”