Parenthood in the era of Reproductive Outsourcing and Global Assemblages

Abstract

AbstractTechnologies to assist reproduction are deconstructing conventional scripts regarding age, parenting and sexuality. Helping individuals and infertile couples with a child wish has become a thriving global business. Women's reproductive bodies and their reproductive body parts have been turned into commodities that are donated or traded. Several centers all over the world are dealing in reproductive body parts, and functioning as global assembly points. Advocates of surrogacy point out the advantages for both intending parents and surrogates, arguing for its regulation. Women's health and rights advocates on the other hand argue that the practice commodities women and should be legally banned. Feminists are divided in their response to these technologies, particularly over whether they enhance women's agency and subjectivity or not. These developments and competing frameworks of analysis pose new challenges not only for women's rights advocates, but also for sociologists researching on the family, health policy makers, legislators and bioethicists.Keywords: Reproductive technologiesparenthoodglobalizationfree marketsurrogacybioethics