Fertility tourists or global consumers? A sociological agenda for exploring cross-border reproductive travel.

Date
2010
Authors
Culley, Lorraine
Hudson, Nicky
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
1833-1882
DOI
Volume Title
Publisher
Common Ground
Peer reviewed
Yes
Abstract
Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) raise significant issues at the interface of bodies, technologies and societies and as such there is an extensive literature devoted to infertility and ARTs within psychology, sociology, bioethics and the law. Little of this work however, has addressed the transnational aspects of reproductive technologies. The use of ARTs is subject to the specific contexts of national states, but at the same time global interaction is evident in both the development of the technologies, and in their clinical application. As such, there are indications that, for a variety of reasons, individuals and couples are increasingly travelling abroad from the UK in their quest for a child. Drawing on work from an ESRC funded research project exploring the experiences of couples who are engaged in what is popularly known as ‘fertility tourism’ (RES 000-22-33900), this paper examines key debates and proposes a sociological agenda for exploring the growing phenomenon of the cross-border use of ARTs.
Description
Keywords
infertility, assisted reproduction technologies, fertility tourism, cross border reproductive care, transnational reproduction
Citation
Culley, L. and Hudson, N. (2010) Fertility tourists or global consumers? A sociological agenda for exploring cross-border reproductive travel. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 4(10) pp.139-150.
Research Institute
Centre for Reproduction Research (CRR)