Ending The ‘Tyranny’ of Pregnancy
Brigitte Gerstl | Luara Ferracioli | Mianna Lotz
Is the emergence of artificial wombs and womb transplants a ‘boon’ or a ‘bane’ for women? Explore the transformative possibilities for reproductive autonomy that could redefine the very essence of motherhood.
This session is presented as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and supported by UNSW Sydney.
UNSW SYDNEY X FESTIVAL OF DANGEROUS IDEAS
UNSW Sydney is the exclusive university sponsor and proud Principal Partner of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Explore more events featuring UNSW academics and researchers here
TICKETS
Pricing
Standard – $33
Plus booking fee.
Multipacks
A multipack consists of three or more tickets to different FODI talks. After you have selected three or more tickets to different paid talks*, you may also add additional individual paid and free tickets to your order. Purchasing a multipack will provide a 15% discount across your entire cart (discount applied at check out).
*Free sessions are not included in the three different sessions needed to create a multipack. No concession pricing is available for multipacks, and booking fees apply.
For more information, head here.
LIVE EVENT & VENUE
This event will take place live at Carriageworks.
ACCESS
Wheelchair Accessible
Carriageworks has a wheelchair ramp and level access at all entrances. There is level access and accessible seating available in all venues along with multiple accessible toilets. Accessible parking is available at the end of Carriageworks Way, with entry via 229 Wilson Street. The closest train station with wheelchair access across all platforms is Redfern Station which recently underwent upgrades to improve accessibility.
Access Services
For all access services, please contact the Festival of Dangerous Ideas directly at contact@festivalofdangerousideas.com
PUBLIC TRANSPORT & PARKING
Carriageworks is easily accessible via public transport. It is an eight-minute walk from Redfern Station, a 10-minute walk from Macdonaldtown Station or 15-minute walk from Newtown Station along with numerous bus routes available. For trip planning, maps and ticket info, visit transportnsw.info or call 131 500.
Limited on-site (with entry via 229 Wilson Street) and street parking is available. For additional transport information visit the Carriageworks website.
CONTACT
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
For all event enquiries, please email contact@festivalofdangerousideas.com or visit here.
UNSW Centre for Ideas
For all other enquiries, please call the Centre for Ideas on 02 9065 0485 or email centreforideas@unsw.edu.au
The Centre for Ideas is happy to receive phone calls via the National Relay Service. TTY users, phone 133 677, then ask for 02 9065 0485. Speak and Listen users, phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 02 9065 0485. Internet relay users, visit relayservice.gov.au, then ask for 02 9065 0485.
Brigitte Gerstl
Brigitte Gerstl is the program manager for the uterus transplant program at the Royal Hospital for Women (RHW). Brigitte played a pivotal role in establishing Australia’s first live donor uterus transplant research study program at the RHW, she is currently developing the deceased donor pathway within the program. In this role, she oversees patient screening, ethics, and governance, while also monitoring patient progress and clinical and psychosocial outcomes. Her involvement extends to several other women's health initiatives, including the management of the Australian Endometriosis Clinicians Collaborative (AECC) research study, and endometriosis data linkage projects (EndoLinked). Additionally, she has significantly supported changes in the oncofertility landscape in Australia, contributing to the inclusion of fertility preservation services in Medicare through her work with FUTuRE Fertility, Australia’s first oncofertility research study program. She has published widely in women’s health, mental health and oncology, actively mentors and supervises medical students and researchers, reviews for several leading medical journals, and participates in numerous influential health groups.
Luara Ferracioli
Luara Ferracioli is Associate Professor in Political Philosophy at the University of Sydney. She grew up in Brazil but moved to Australia in 2006. Her main areas of research are the ethics of immigration and family justice. She is the author of Liberal Self-Determination in a World of Migration, and Parenting and the Goods of Childhood.
Mianna Lotz
Dr Mianna Lotz (she/her) is an academic, ethics advisor, and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University where she specialises in and teaches ethics and applied ethics with a research focus on emerging reproductive technologies, adoption, surgical innovation, family ethics, and the welfare and rights of children and parents. She is co-editor of two books, the most recent of which is Philosophies of Adoption: Reflections and Perspectives. She is author of numerous journal articles and book chapters on the ethics of uterus transplantation, parents’ and children’s rights, cloning, and vulnerability, including in the Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Sex and the Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Children and Childhood. She was Chair of one of Macquarie University’s Research Ethics Committees from 2011–2023; is a current member and former Chair of the Data Security and Safety Board of Australia’s first uterus transplant trial (RHW, Randwick); member of the Uterus Transplant Advisory Group of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ); and member of the Ethics Committee of the International Society of Uterus Transplantation (ISUTx). In 2023 she was the recipient of the inaugural Macquarie University Research Excellence prize for Excellence in Research Integrity.