The workshop was convened by Dr Deirdre Madden (Faculty of Law), Dr Linda Connolly (School of Sociology & Philosophy) and Dr Máire Leane (School of Applied Social Studies) and was an initiative of ISS21 which is an interdisciplinary research institute of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, the College of Business and Law and the College of Medicine and Health.

The workshop explored the social, ethical and legal consequences of scientific developments in the arena of assisted reproductive technologies and examined and compared, how these developments related to the broader changes occurring in family structures and intimate relationships in European societies. The 17 participants were drawn from a range of European countries including Scotland, Greece, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, England and Ireland and it is hoped that the workshop will facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue on how the changing nature of family life intersects with social, legal and ethical debates about Artificial Reproductive Technology