Katherine Drabiak JD

08/04/2026

Commercial surrogacy is a massive and profitable international market, valued at nearly $25 billion. The U.S. has become a commercial surrogacy destination point, with an estimated 40-50% of clients at U.S. agencies hailing from other countries. Intended parents may ship genetic material, purchase surrogacy services, arrange for around the clock nanny care, and even facilitate the infants’ transportation into another country without ever leaving home. These infants - even when ordered from a "country of concern" - are then U.S. citizens. What are the national security risks? Read more here:

The U.S. has become a commercial surrogacy destination point, with an estimated 40-50% of clients at U.S. agencies hailing from other countries, but a patchwork of state laws has made the practice difficult to govern.

08/04/2026

What happens when an adolescent seeks medical services following a sexual assault? Laws related to forensic medical exam vary across each state, and most states require parental consent. Importantly, consent for a forensic medical exam (DNA evidence collection for future prosecution) is not the same as consent to individualized medical treatment. Excellent contributions from Morsani College of Medicine student co-author Connie Gao. Read more here:

Legislative divergence across states highlights the importance of health care providers to remain current on their state's requirements.

02/19/2026

Biology Meets the Future: The Laws of Medicine, Climate, and Cyber Evolution - Union Internationale des Avocats Conference, London, UK, February 2026

01/09/2026

Have you seen ketamine clinics popping up for depression, anxiety, or PTSD? You may see ads promising that it will "improve brain chemistry," "stimulate neuroplasticity," and "repair damage." Patients should know these are *marketing claims* to sell a product in a lucrative $3.41B industry. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic originally approved for surgery that is designed to produce sedation, altered consciousness, and euphoria - it is also addictive.

Clinics across the USA advertise ketamine as an alternative solution for mental health conditions. Ketamine has expanded into a multibillion-dollar industry, with three delivery models: (1) in-person clinics offering off-label racemic ketamine; (2) clinic visits for esketamine (Spravato); and (3) te...

01/09/2026

After attempted su***de, EMTs and physicians will try to revive the patient. Some legal scholars and clinicians assert we should not intervene, but instead let the patient "complete his su***de" because he wanted to die. Why should physicians intervene, even over patient wishes in these cases?

Historically, EMTs and clinicians intervened to resuscitate patients and provide lifesaving treatment following a su***de attempt. Despite this, the literature ...

01/09/2026

If patients request physician assisted su***de, how should clinical ethicists respond? Should medicine elevate autonomy and patient requests for "death on demand"? How can ethicists respond to patient suffering while upholding the integrity of medicine?

A minority of countries around the world have taken steps to legalize the practice of physician-assisted su***de and/or euthanasia (PAS/E). Proponents frame PAS/E as a means to enhance patient autonomy, reduce suffering, alleviate the burden of illness, and respect patient dignity. Critics of PAS/E,...

01/09/2026

Death can occur naturally, be expedited, or induced on demand. Deciding who lives and how we die is closely tied to exerting control, cultivating meaning, and discerning the value of life. Medicine offers three distinct approaches to death: (1) death is demanded; (2) death is elevated as optimal; or (3) death is a wrong and should be vigorously fought. Who decides when we die, and why does this matter?

By Katherine Drabiak, Published on 01/01/25

01/09/2026

Great American Teach In at Turner-Bartels K8 School, November 2025