The Womb: from Sanctuary of Life to Public Space. Women's Body in Assisted Reproduction
The Womb: from Sanctuary of Life to Public Space. Women's Body in Assisted Reproduction

Summary/Abstract: Assisted reproduction has opened the door to all manner of scenarios, from biological surrogate motherhood to gestational surrogates. Women are either seen as the victims of the reproductive technologies, because they lose control over their bodies hence their selves or they are argued to enjoy greater freedom. In a feminist approach women claim for themselves the right to decide where and how these boundaries should be drawn. Is this really empowerment or on the contrary disempowerment? Do all these technologies imply negotiation of the body boundaries? Is the body reduced to a vessel? New reproductive technologies are challenging our very notions of what it means to be a person. What are the implications of living in a society in which procreation is subject to personal preference and choice in a way that has never before been conceivable? What does it mean for definitions of motherhood if children can be “produced” through “donated” eggs and/or “rented” wombs? Are we moving towards women’s empowerment or the new eugenics? Using a cross-cultural approach, we will examine the anthropology and bioethics of the new reproductive technologies.

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