2025 Baron de Lancey Lecture: 'Repugnant transactions and taboo trades'

Speaker: Professor Kimberly D. Krawiec Lecture

Event Overview: Each year, the Baron de Lancey Lecture brings a leading mind to Cambridge to dissect a contentious and cutting-edge topic in medical law and ethics. This year, Professor Kimberly D. Krawiec from the University of Virginia Law School will discuss “repugnant transactions and taboo trades” - exploring markets that push moral boundaries and even face prohibition, such as sex work, commercial surrogacy, and the sale of organs, eggs and sperm. She will challenge us to think critically about society’s decisions on what can be bought and sold.

This lecture will discuss:

• The ethical dilemmas of payments for: surrogacy; human organs, eggs and sperm; and prostitution.
• The societal implications of prohibiting certain trades.
• Diverse legal regulations and cultural norms for these markets.

About the Speaker: Professor Kimberly D. Krawiec holds the prestigious Charles O. Gregory Professor of Law title at the University of Virginia. With a wealth of experience in commodity and derivatives law, she has also been a commentator for the Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI) of the American Bar Association and has taught at top institutions including Duke, North Carolina, Harvard, and Northwestern, where she won the Robert Childres Award for Teaching Excellence.

Register for in-person or online attendance to secure your spot: https://barondelancey2025.eventbrite.com

For further information, please visit the LML website, or contact jsjw2@cam.ac.uk.