Diasporic Infertility: The Refugee Pursuit of Motherhood & Assisted Reproductive Technology Público
Dhabaan, Layla (Spring 2024)
Abstract
This thesis explores the interplay between infertility, reproductive rights, and the refugee experience in the United States. Drawing on interdisciplinary research across public health, bioethics, healthcare ethics, anthropology, and feminist theory, the study delves into an understanding of refugee women’s experiences with infertility and reproductive health. It critically examines prevailing reproductive policies and their impact on refugee women, particularly in terms of societal expectations surrounding motherhood and gender roles. The research is guided by the central question: should fertility treatment be granted as an entitlement right for refugees?
In this work, I present an in-depth exploration of the historical context of eugenics and reproductive healthcare in America, focusing on stratified reproduction and its implications on access to reproductive medical services for refugee women. I then transition to examine trauma and bereavement, particularly as they stem from war, and their consequential roles in influencing infertility or driving refugees to reproduce. Through narratives collected via the Photovoice project, which integrates visual narratives and participatory methods, the research delves into refugee women’s views on motherhood, identity, and the transformative impact of supportive reproductive healthcare.
Through this evidence I contend that medical interventions related to infertility, like IVF, possess contradictory effects within broader societal systems. While labeling ART as an entitlement right promises democratized access to medical care and addresses historical injustices, it also raises challenges concerning gender ethics and cultural dynamics. The study explores how ART, as a potential entitlement right, might both alleviate and exacerbate societal pressures surrounding compulsory motherhood, particularly for refugee women.
The thesis concludes with reflections on the broader implications of framing ART as an entitlement right. I advocate for a balanced and inclusive approach that not only seeks to equalize access but also considers the impact on cultural dynamics and gender norms. The work contributes to a discourse that not only recognizes the multifaceted challenges faced by refugee women in accessing reproductive healthcare but also advocates for transformative approaches that address historical injustices and current inequalities.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents 7
Introduction 9
Chapter Outlines: 14
Chapter 1: Stratified Reproduction in History 19
Section 1: The Origins of Birth Control & New Eugenics 22
Section 2: The Origins of IVF 28
Section 3: Refugee Experiences of Stratification 35
Chapter 2: The War on Fertility 41
Section 1: Cultural Bereavement 41
Section 2: War’s Biological Toll 44
Section 3: ART in Post-Genocide Restoration 47
Section 4: America’s War on Infertility 51
Chapter 3: Photovoice and Identity 56
Section 1: Photovoice Narratives 57
Theme 1: Motherhood as a Social Network 58
Theme 2: Motherhood as Empowerment 60
Theme 3: Motherhood in Alleviating Loneliness 63
Section 2: IVF as Identity-Affirming Care? 66
Section 3: The Instutition of Compulsory Motherhood 69
Conclusion: Defining Infertility and the Question of ART as an Entitlement Right 72
References 80
About this Honors Thesis
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