When transgressions become transparent: limiting family forms in assisted conception

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Reproduction
• Bioethics
• Family Law and Policy

Background:

• Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) challenge traditional family definitions.
• Social norms influence the regulation and practice of assisted conception.
• Understanding the social construction of family is crucial in reproductive medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the social processes translating family ideas into assisted conception regulation and practice.
• To analyze how transgressions of family definitions trigger regulatory responses.
• To examine the role of regulation in obscuring non-traditional family structures in assisted conception.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of social problems literature.
• Examination of regulatory claims and clinical practices in assisted conception.
• Case study approach using lesbian access to donor insemination and donor anonymity.

Main Results:

• Regulation in assisted conception emerges when families deviate from established norms.
• Practices and regulations aim to make non-traditional family structures less visible.
• Lesbian access to donor insemination and donor anonymity illustrate the regulation of family boundaries.

Conclusions:

• Formal regulation and clinical practice in assisted conception serve to protect the field from scrutiny by managing the visibility of diverse family forms.
• The translation of societal ideas about family into practice highlights the social control inherent in reproductive technologies.
• Further research is needed on the ethical implications of obscuring family structures in assisted conception.