Infertility around the Globe: New Thinking on Childlessness, Gender, and Reproductive Technologies

358 Pages·2002·1.84 MB·English

by  Marcia Inhorn

Infertility around the Globe

Infertility
around the Globe
New Thinking on Childlessness, Gender,
and Reproductive Technologies
EDITED BY
Marcia C. Inhorn
Frank van Balen
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley LosAngeles London
UniversityofCaliforniaPress
BerkeleyandLosAngeles,California
UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Ltd.
London,England
(cid:1)2002by
TheRegentsoftheUniversityofCalifornia
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Infertilityaroundtheglobe:newthinkingonchildlessness,gen-
der,andreproductivetechnologies/editedbyMarciaC.Inhorn,
FrankvanBalen.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-520-23108-2(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN0-520-23137-6
(paper:alk.paper)
1.Infertility—Developingcountries. 2.Infertility—Social
aspects. 3.Infertility—Psycholgicalaspects.
[DNLM:1.Infertility—psychology 2.Cross-Cultural
Comparison. 3.Feminism. 4.ReproductionTechniques.WP
570I43352001] I.Inhorn,MarciaClaire,1957– II.Balen,
Frankvan.
RC889.I56132001
616.6'92—dc21 2001007069
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Thepaperusedinthispublicationisbothacid-freeandtotallychlorine-free(TCF).Itmeets
theminimumrequirementsofANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992(R1997)(PermanenceofPaper).
In memory of Dr. Mohammed Mehanna
and his dreams of advancing assisted conception in Egypt
m.c.i.
In memory of my beloved wife, Pauline
f.v.b.

CONTENTS
PART I •DISCOURSES AND DEBATES / 1
1. Introduction.InterpretingInfertility:AViewfromtheSocialSciences
FrankvanBalenandMarciaC.Inhorn / 3
2. TheUsesofa“Disease”:InfertilityasRhetoricalVehicle
MargareteSandelowskiandSheryldeLacey / 33
3. FertileGround:FeministsTheorizeInfertility
CharisM.Thompson / 52
4. ThePsychologizationofInfertility
FrankvanBalen / 79
PART II •GENDER AND BODY POLITICS / 99
5. InfertileBodies:Medicalization,Metaphor,andAgency
ArthurL.Greil / 101
6. DecidingWhethertoTellChildrenaboutDonorInsemination:
AnUnresolvedQuestionintheUnitedStates
GayBecker / 119
7. ConceivingtheHappyFamily:
InfertilityandMaritalPoliticsinNorthernVietnam
MelissaJ.Pashigian / 134
8. PositioningGenderIdentityinNarrativesofInfertility:
SouthIndianWomen’sLivesinContext
CatherineKohlerRiessman / 152
9. Childlessness,Adoption,andMilagrosdeDiosinCostaRica
GwynneL.JenkinswithSilviaVargasObandoandJose´BadillaNavas / 171
viii CONTENTS
PART III •THE INFERTILITY BELT / 191
10. ProblematizingFertility:
“Scientific”AccountsandChadianWomen’sNarratives
LoriLeonard / 193
11. IsInfertilityanUnrecognizedPublicHealthandPopulationProblem?
TheViewfromtheCameroonGrassfields
PamelaFeldman-Savelsberg / 215
12. InfertilityandMatrilineality:
TheExceptionalCaseoftheMacuaofMozambique
TrudieGerrits / 233
13. InfertilityandHealthCareinCountrieswithLessResources:
CaseStudiesfromSub-SaharanAfrica
JohanneSundby / 247
PART IV •GLOBALIZING TECHNOLOGIES / 261
14. The“Local”Confrontsthe“Global”:
InfertileBodiesandNewReproductiveTechnologiesinEgypt
MarciaC.Inhorn / 263
15. RabbisandReproduction:
TheUsesofNewReproductiveTechnologiesamongUltraorthodoxJewsinIsrael
SusanMarthaKahn / 283
16. ThePoliticsofMakingModernBabiesinChina:
ReproductiveTechnologiesandthe“New”Eugenics
LisaHandwerker / 298
17. ConceptionPolitics:
MedicalEgos,MediaSpotlights,andtheContestoverTest-TubeFirstsinIndia
AdityaBharadwaj / 315
contributors / 335
index / 341
PART I
Discourses and Debates