New post on EäBlog: Natural or technological? What women think about assisted reproduction in Argentina. Origins and dilemmas of assisted reproduction in Argentina, by Lucia Ariza

"(...) The high technological component of reproductive medicine, the occurrence in it of fertilization outside the female body, the evolution of associated techniques such as cryopreservation of embryos and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and the configuration of innovation scenarios (such as the constitution of egg and sperm banks) that profoundly disturb the established meanings about the origin of life and what constitutes "nature" have linked the evolution of reproductive medicine to debates of a moral and political nature, concerning especially the status of the embryo as a potential human being, as well as the potential health risks of both babies born by assisted procreation techniques and patients (especially women) who have to undergo complex and usually troublesome medical procedures (such as stimulation and ovarian puncture or testicular biopsy). These debates (which in Argentina and Latin America have generally been restricted to the technical and academic fields, and are still far from including broad population) have revealed the cultural discomfort of practices of reproductive medicine (especially in countries where the influence of the Catholic Church permeates vast social structures), as well as the perception that this type of treatment modifies established or "natural" forms to procreate, eliminating "old" dichotomies like "nature/culture".  See full text on EäBlog

The paper “La procreación como evento natural o tecnológico: repertorios decisorios acerca del recurso a la reproducción asistida en mujeres en parejas infértiles de Buenos Aires” published on Eä Journal Vol. 2 N°1, investigates the perceptions and experiences of a group of infertile women or infertile couples regarding the possibility of reproductive treatment.

*Lucía Ariza, Department of Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. • www.gold.ac.uk/sociology

Ariza, L. (2010). La procreación como evento natural o tecnológico: repertorios decisorios acerca del recurso a la reproducción asistida en mujeres en parejas infértiles de Buenos Aires. Eä – Revista de Humanidades Médicas & Estudios Sociales de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, vol. 2 (1).

Full text available online at http://www.ea-journal.com/art2.1/La-procreacion-como-evento-natural-o-tecnologico.pdf