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4 |
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Focal point 4 |
Bio-Politics
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Workshop 4.2 |
"Commodification and Commercialisation of Women’s Bodies in Repro-
ductive Technologies - Perspectives for Feminist Intervention" |
 Saturday, 10.09.2005, 3-4.45 pm
ReproKult, Germany in co-operation with the Biopolitics programme of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation
| With the participation of
Facilitator: Sangeeta Fager, ReproKult, Germany
Recent developments in new reproductive technologies have changed the perspective and the accessibility of the human body. Women’s bodies are being targeted in a special way: Human egg-cells are becoming a highly prized commodity. They are crucial not only in IVF treatment of infertility, but also for research (research cloning, stem cells etc) with no direct connection to infertility.
Considering the serious health risks women face when undergoing ovarian–hyper-stimulation, it is surprising that ethical and medical problems involved in the process have rarely been raised. Egg harvesting for the purpose of donation becomes even more ethically questionable since there is absolutely no personal benefit for the donors involved.
The rising demand for oocytes for IVF and research purposes has various consequences. To give one example: Women looking for donor egg cells to overcome their infertility face an increasing competition with scientists. This competition and increased demand not only leads to conflicting interests between two very different groups, it also brings about a shift in the perception of the woman as a “producer” of this highly sought for resource – the oocyte. Women’s bodies are being turned into a commodity of commercial value. In countries – such as Great Britain – where the direct “marketing” of oocytes is forbidden and only donation allowed, there are discussions about an increase of the compensation fees. Other countries do not have these regulations and the donors are being paid for selling their body substances.
Obviously, new reproductive technologies are accompanied by a high probability of female exploitation. In countries with profound social, economic and political changes – as is the case, for example, in many Eastern European countries –living conditions can lead women to selling their body substances as a resource and means to improve their social situation. The gap in wealth between East and West, North and South creates a situation where poor women increasingly face the threat of being exploited for the research purposes and fertility interests of the better off. So called ‘IVF –tourism’ from Western Europe to Eastern Europe, where regulations are more lax or non-existent, has become a regular feature, and there are growing numbers of cases of women directly paid for their oocytes. In Germany there is a growing number of cases where couples travel to Eastern European countries for IVF treatment, involving egg donation. And in Britain, just to give another example, the HFEA attempts to cooperate with Romanian clinics in order to combine IVF treatments with egg-cell donation and increased “compensations” for “donation”
At the workshop we propose to discuss the following questions:
- What are the consequences of these technical, medical, social and commercial developments?
- How is the concept of self-determination discussed and used in a situation where there are conflicting interests and power relation between the actors – and especially women – involved?
- What could be feminist answers to the discrepancy between the ‘right to decide over ones own body’ and exploitation?
- What kind of rules and regulations should be in place to avoid exploitation of women?
| Contact
Sangeeta Fager, ReproKult – Frauen Forum Fortpflanzungsmedizin, Hamburg, Germany
E-Mail sfager@web.de, Homepage http://www.reprokult.de/
Aktualisiert: 02.09.2005, hbr
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