Michelle Taylor-Sands

Michelle Taylor-Sands is a Professor at the Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, specializing in health law and bioethics. She serves as Co-Director of Studies for Health and Medical Law and Director of the Health Law and Ethics Network. Her roles include membership in the Victorian Mental Health Tribunal and Patient Review Panel, reflecting her engagement with legal and policy matters in healthcare. Prior to academia, she worked as a litigation specialist with the Australian Government Solicitor.

Her research focuses on reproductive health law, ethical implications of selective reproduction, and the welfare of future children. She authored Saviour Siblings: A Relational Approach to the Welfare of the Child in Selective Reproduction and has published widely on prenatal screening, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, and gender healthcare for minors. Taylor-Sands advocates for equitable access to healthcare and ethical frameworks for emerging technologies like non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT).

• Professional Memberships: Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority Advisory Panel, Staff Equity and Diversity Committee.
• Key Projects: Leading the Master of Health and Medical Law program, analyzing judicial approaches to gender-affirming care for adolescents, and exploring disparities in NIPT integration.

Her work bridges legal, medical, and ethical domains, addressing contemporary challenges such as balancing parental choice with future child welfare, resolving gender healthcare disputes, and ensuring inclusive legal frameworks for emerging biotechnologies.