The new reproductive technologies and female infertility : liberal, radical and poststructuralist feminist approaches

O +

The ^ner't 1íberal,

reproductive

technologíes ^and

f

emale

inf

ertilit,y:

radical and Poatstructuralist feninist

^approaches

By:

Anne Barrie

Supervisor: Dr.

^{Margie RiPPer}

A thesis ^presented to the Faculty of Arts of the University of ^Adelaide

for the Degree of

Master of Arts ^{(vüomen's Studies)}

University of

lfomen's studíes Adelaide Department

april

¹⁹⁹⁵

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1 1 2 4 1

2 3 4

COI¡TENTS

Declaration Acknowledgments

ABSTRACT

PÀRT 1: THE llElr REPRODUCTIvE TECIIIfOLOGIES Al¡D INFERTILITY The new reproductive technologies: overview and definition

Fernale infertility: ^medical definition

Femal-e infertility: ^personal and social itnplications

Female infertility and Vilestern pronatalism

PÀRT 2z REPRODUCTM LfBERÀLISM Reproductive liberalism: overview The concepts of 'choice' ^and 'eontrol' unlinited procreative liberty

The right to privacy

Summary of reproductive liberalism

PART 3: RADICÀL FEMIIIISM

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2 3 4 5

5 7

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10 11

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Radical feminism: overview The concept of 'pat:i-iarchy'

Some past abuses of ^women by the medical ^profession The medical profession as patriarchal institution Male control of female reproduction

( a) I'fary O'Brien's theory of 'reproductive consciousness' (b) The 'Baby M' surrogacy case

The l-anguage of the ^NRTS

The experimental nature of the ^NRTs

(a) ^Some reported side-effects of reproductive medicine (b) Disnissal of feminist ^{concern by} the rnedical profession (c) 'Milieu control' ^.

(d) The failure of rvF

The concept of informed consent' ^. The issue of 'choice' ^.

The concept of 'autonomy' in reproductive decision-making Gender inequality: privileging of nale reproductive ^goals

The eugenic potential of the NRTS

Prenatal- genetic screening and the concept of 'choice' ^.

Abuse of NRTs in the Third vlorld The international surrogacy industry

(a) The liberal pro-surroçlacy argument

(b) The'body-as-property' principle

PÀRT 4z ^RÀDICAL FEMINIST RESISTANCE TO THE ^NRTS Practical strategies ^.

Political and social objectives

T2 L7 19 2T 23 23 25 27 30 31 33 35 36 38 41 44 45 49 51 55 59 61 62

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PART 5: ^SttMllÀRY SO ^FAR

PART6:THEPRoBLE}lsAssocIATEDwIrHRADICÀLFEMINISI{

The proþIem with 'PatriarchY'

The probtem of essentialism

PARTT¿THEBEI|EFITSoFAPoSTSTRUCEURåLISTAPPRoACH The redefinition of ^'Power'

The decentred subject

Language and meaning

Discipline

PART 8: REPRESENTATIONS OF INFERTILITY overview

Representations of infertility: ne\{spaper coverage The discourse of 'social faílure' '

The discourse of 'biotogical instinct'

'Social failure' ^and 'biological instinct': ^discursive interaction

PÀRT ⁹ : ^St llltARY AND CONCLUSIONS ENDIf OTES

REFEREITCES

APPE¡{DIX ^A

GLOSSARY OF ^TERIIS

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86 88 94 99 101

105

Dec laratíon

This work contains ^no material which has been accepted for the award

of any other degree or diptorna at any other university or tertiary institution and to thê best of ^{my knowledge and} belief cc¡ntajns no

naterial previously ^published or !ùritten by another person except where due reference is made in the text.

I give ^consent to this copy of ^my thesis, ^when deposited in the university Libraryn ^being available for Ioan and photocopying.

AcknowledgmeDts

The eventual completion of this thesis owes much to ^my supervisor Dr.

l,[argie Ripper who was full of great ideas and enthusiasrn at all the righi ti¡es and has been unbelievably patient and eternally

understandinq.

AIso, thanks to ltelen for spending a lot of her tine listening to ^me babble about aII sorts of things. ^Thanks also to Liz ^who successfully dragged me back to reality ^when I began to drift.

ABSTRàCT

In pronatalist ^Western culture motherhood is defined as the ^primary role and responsibility of vlomen. In such a society ^female infertility ís constructed through medical discourse ^and popular media

as a problem - ^more specificalty as a medical problem for ^which medical technology is the only ans\¡ler. ^Such a view is ^{supported by} the discourse of reproductive liberatism which ^promotes the NRTS as

Iiberating for ^{women because} they supposedty increase the options ^and choices available, therefore allowing women greater self- determination, ^{autonomy and} control. Radical feminists, particularly those associated with the ^FINRRAGE organisation' vehemently disagree with reproductive tiberals arguing instead that ^because the NRTS are designeã within a patriarchal ^system they are exploitative, ^{not' only} of the ^vùomen directly involved, but also of ^lvomen worldwide. ^FINRRAGE writers and others argue the'choices'offered by the ^{NRTS are} coercive ^and culturally forced ^and therefore reduce lvomen's ^autonomy and self-determination. Through international networking ^and information sharing radical feminists aim to actively resist ^the increasing medicalisation of ^women's lives. ^The foltowing literature review highlights the main issues associated with the liberal ^and radical arguments and attempts to ₉₀ some way tolvards grasping ^how the two theoretical stances can arrive at ^such disparate conclusions ^about the NRTS. The section following this discusses ^some of the difficulties associated with the radical feminist perspêctive on ^the

NRTS, especially the ^concept of 'patriarchy' ^and the essentialising tendencies of radical feminist theory. I then outline the benefits of poststructuralism in general, ^and then attempt to use a deconstructive ãpproacn in order to examine one of the ^more interesting ^aspects of inlertility. That is, the popular construction of infertility-as- crisis, ^and the 'desperation' for a ^{baby which} results from this. I

concl-ude by briefly suggesting how poststructuralist theory ^{when used} in relation to debate on the ^ne\{ reproductive technologies can ^be useful- for feminist Politics.