In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertilization process through which people implant a fertilized ovum into the uterus and is often used for people who have struggled to conceive. My parents used IVF to have my brother and me after facing a number of fertility struggles in the early 2000s. However, the question of who actually owns the pre-embryo prior to implantation can be complex, especially in cases of divorce. Embryos that have not been implanted into a uterus, pre-embryos, seem to sit in an intermediate space between property and individual rights because of their “potential for life”. For the sake of this article, pre-embryos will be treated as property.

The high cost of medicine affords wealthier people a better opportunity for health than others. The recent “trend” of using Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications for weight loss highlighted this disparity. To prevent increasing costs, should pharmacies and physicians be allowed to compound ingredients of patented drugs owned by pharmaceutical companies even when there is no drug shortage?