Reproductive technology increasingly accepted:
Everything is normal
"Nothing is more natural than having a child" or so they say. But the boundaries for what we consider to be natural have changed dramatically over a period of just a few years.
Merete Lie (Photo: NTNU)
"The change in what is generally considered to be 'natural' has come about almost imperceptibly," says Professor Merete Lie of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). "The reason is that attention has been directed towards more controversial changes in biotechnology, such as cloning or embryonic stem cell research."
According to Professor Lie reproductive technology is not considered a controversial or ethically-loaded subject in Norway. Over a relatively short period of time it has become just another way to get pregnant. Today a woman is not considered involuntarily childless until she has undergone infertility treatment without success. A few years ago she would have been considered involuntarily childless if she had not been able to get pregnant "the natural way".
Experts and lay people - different views
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Professor Lie has led a study on reproductive technology and cultural change. The project is funded by the Programme on Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of biotechnology, nanotechnology and neurotechnology (ELSA) under the Research Council. Together with her colleagues, Malin Noem Ravn and Kristin Spilker, Lie has interviewed a number of groups who, for varying reasons, are concerned with or affected by the new reproductive technologies. Among them are experts (doctors, philosophers and lawyers), heterosexual couples who cannot have children, homosexuals and single people.
Through the interviews the researchers have found that there are significant differences between the views of lay people and those of experts when it comes to the new technology. "Those concerned with legalisation and establishing norms within the field of biotechnology are interested in maintaining consistency in the statutory framework in the field of biotechnology as a whole. They make no distinction between reproductive technology and other areas of biotechnology. But most ordinary people are extremely pragmatic. Their attitudes towards the legalisation of egg and sperm donation are positive. For them the social context is more important than logical consistency."
Language use has changed
Regardless of what the experts think, society's boundaries for what is accepted as natural or artificial are fluid. Politicians play a part in creating these fluctuations. According to Professor Lie, this is illustrated by the language we use when we talk about reproductive technology.
"What was once "artificial" fertilisation is now more commonly referred to as "assisted" fertilisation. The change in language use is an indication of the fact that this way of having children has become much more normal. The words we choose to label new phenomena are very significant: the language we use helps to shape the subject under discussion."
The term assisted fertilisation suggests a process by which the body receives help to make it work as it should. It is no more than a helping hand to kick-start the natural processes. "This is also consistent with a policy that defines childlessness as a dysfunction or illness entitling those affected to the right to treatment in the public health system."
The right to have children
According to Professor Lie, the Norwegian debate on reproductive technology is unique. "It revolves, to a large extent, around the fact that in Norway everyone has a right to have their own biological children. Motherhood and fatherhood are highly valued. As a result, reproductive technology is not perceived as any kind of threat. In Norway the political debate is based on the premise that we all want to have our own biological children."
The pregnant man: Ten years ago American Thomas Beatie (formerly Tracy Lagondino) underwent a partial sex change. However he wanted to retain the ability to have children and became pregnant after his second IVF treatment. His daughter, Susan Juliette, was born in June 2008. (Photo: Scanpix/Planet Photos)
What is natural?
Professor Lie believes that creating a child is nowadays increasingly seen as a biological process, rather than the romantic coming together of two people. "Are we witnessing a development where fertilisation is no longer regarded as the result of a union between a man and a woman, but as the coming together of an egg cell and a sperm cell? These cells are beginning to lead lives of their own, as in the pictures we often come across in the media. Then it makes little difference if the cells are united inside or outside the body.
We are seeing that what is perceived as natural is constantly changing. At the same time a general understanding of what is natural is extremely important for our willingness to accept advances in the field of biotechnology," says Professor Lie.
- Published:
- 18.03.2009
- Last updated:
- 19.03.2009
