Assisted reproduction in the Light of Christianity and Islam. Dialogue and / or Confrontation? Cover Image

ASISTIRANA REPRODUKCIJA U SVETLU HRIŠĆANSTVA I ISLAMA. DIJALOG I/ILI SUKOB?
Assisted reproduction in the Light of Christianity and Islam. Dialogue and / or Confrontation?

Author(s): Tanja Komnenović
Subject(s): Welfare systems, Family and social welfare
Published by: АЛФА БК УНИВЕРЗИТЕТ
Keywords: assisted reproduction; Christianity; Islam; anthropology; family; marriage; infertility

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the development of science and technology that we have been witnessing in the past decades, is not only to improve the quality of life, but life itself. New reproductive technologies are presented as something in service of improving life, but it turns out that this development is beginning to re-conceptualize the basic concepts of identity, gender roles, kinship, social equality and existing cultural, religious and ethical norms. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of scholarly debates about the relationship of new reproductive technologies, seen as modern achievements which strongly influence the life of a man, and religion, as something of a more traditional network of conceptions and ethos that a man uses to learn about himself and the world around him. The paper analyzes the religious views of Christianity and Islam on the homologous (medical procedures that use sex cells of reproductively-challenged spouses) or heterologous (medical methods which include donation of sperm and/or eggs) assisted reproduction, with the aim of finding the opportunity for dialogue and/or place of confrontation in applying new reproductive procedures and traditional religious conceptions, in cases when "natural" procreation is not possible and infertility is a highly undesirable condition both on individual and social level.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 7
  • Page Range: 219-238
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: Serbian