Decentering Whiteness in Feminist Bioethics: Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) as an Illustrative Case

Abstract

The social relations of human reproduction underwent radical change in the latter half of the twentieth century, with the development of in vitro fertilization for the treatment of infertility. The dissociation of sex and reproduction led to a transformation of gender and kinship relations, while embryo and fetus diagnostics led to a shift from planning families to planning a child. Of all those involved, women were most deeply affected, since their bodies are necessary to mediate the technologies. But while advanced reprogenetic technologies have proliferated rapidly and brought benefit to many individuals, globally there are many women who lack access to basic reproductive health services for both fertility and infertility. Moreover, intercountry settings of third-party reproductive collaborations (sperm and egg cell donations and surrogate mother arrangements) have emerged under market conditions that are ripe for exploitation. In addition, the existence of fertilized eggs outside the womb is a new form of human life which can be preserved and manipulated and the embryo in the petri dish has become the object of market eugenics, driven by consumers and their claim to a right to reproductive freedom. All these developments challenge deep-set moral perceptions of human dignity and the relation of human beings to their own nature. The conclusion is that the prospect of a posthuman future calls for an ethic of care and responsibility.