Egg freezing, genetic relatedness, and motherhood: A binational empirical bioethical investigation of women's views.

Pérez-Hernández, Yolinliztli; De Proost, Michiel (2024). Egg freezing, genetic relatedness, and motherhood: A binational empirical bioethical investigation of women's views. Bioethics, 38(7), pp. 592-599. Wiley 10.1111/bioe.13163

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Genetic relatedness figures heavily in contemporary ethical debates on egg freezing, although the arguments lack empirical-based evidence. Rather than adding another theoretical view on the moral relevance of genetic connections, this paper instead proposes an empirically grounded perspective based on two independent qualitative interview-based studies conducted in Belgium and France. Three themes emerge from our empirical data: (1) prioritizing family building; (2) centering the gestational experience of motherhood; and (3) identifying the complexities and limitations of adoption. These themes suggest that the relationship between egg freezing, genetics, biological motherhood, and adoption is highly complex and less straightforward than what is often assumed in the egg freezing debate. Our study provides more detailed insights into women's ambivalent experiences regarding those reproductive options. We discuss the ethical implications of our empirical findings and hold that pursuing genetic desire is not necessarily the main moral reason why women freeze their eggs.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography

UniBE Contributor:

Perez Hernandez, Yolinliztli

Subjects:

900 History > 910 Geography & travel

ISSN:

1467-8519

Publisher:

Wiley

Language:

English

Submitter:

Pubmed Import

Date Deposited:

25 Apr 2023 09:30

Last Modified:

05 Aug 2024 00:11

Publisher DOI:

10.1111/bioe.13163

PubMed ID:

37092298

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Belgium France egg freezing genetic relatedness motherhood qualitative research

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/181957

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/181957

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