(Un)recognisable Parents-to-Be: Reproductive Governance in Queer Family-Making via Assisted Reproductive Technologies...

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Health & Illness
• Reproductive Health
• Queer Studies

Background:

• Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are crucial for queer individuals seeking parenthood.
• Queer individuals often experience discomfort and violence within healthcare institutions.
• Limited research exists on queer individuals' experiences within ART clinics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how queer individuals navigate family-making within ART clinics.
• To understand the impact of reproductive governance and recognisability on ART access for queer people.
• To explore the practices queer individuals employ to gain access to ART services.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 25 in-depth interviews.
• Participants included transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer individuals, and gay men.
• Utilized frameworks of reproductive governance and frames of recognisability.

Main Results:

• Reproductive governance controls ART access by defining recognizable prospective parents.
• Specific bodies and family structures are privileged, while others are excluded.
• Queer individuals engage in 'staying recognizable' practices to access ART.
• Access to ART is unequally distributed within the queer community.

Conclusions:

• Queer individuals must navigate institutional expectations, leading to moments of both queering and conforming.
• Healthcare systems create barriers for queer individuals seeking to build families through ART.
• Further research is needed to address inequities in ART access for the queer community.