International Conference
New reproductive techniques, Gender and Parenting
Conference organized by the Centre Max Weber (UMR 5283) and INED
Under the aegis of CMW, INED, the RING research federation and the ISH interdisciplinary seminar.
14 and 15 November 2011
At University Lyon II
from 8.15 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Presentation
A major rendezvous for the international scientific community working on new reproductive technologies, this conference will provide a stimulating opportunity for dialogue and debate on many levels.
Thanks to technical and medical progress, assisted reproductive
technology (ART) has developed widely in many countries over the
last three decades. In France, since the birth of Amandine in 1982,
more than 200,000 children have been conceived through in-vitro
fertilization, and in 2003, one in twenty births – representing one
or two children in every primary school class – were achieved
thanks to a medical treatment or ART. This is no longer a marginal
phenomenon.
Yet the development of these techniques raises fundamental
questions about the functioning of contemporary society. It is in
the public interest for specialist social science researchers to
focus on their development, the ways they are used, their effects
and their potential impacts on society. These techniques raise new
questions with regard to gender relations, the commodification of
human bodies and procreation, and the unequal trading and power
relations between gamete "supply" and "demand" countries. They also
pose a potential challenge to the current model of
parenthood.
This meeting will be the first international event of its kind in France, bringing together social science scholars who are nationally and internationally recognized for their work on these issues.
The choice of France as a conference venue is highly opportune, given the recent debates on the revision of the French bioethics Act.
The scientific committee comprises sociologists and demographers from Université Louis Lumière Lyon II, Max Weber Center and the French National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED).
Publications :
http://www.ined.fr/fr/ressources_documentation/publications/cahiers/bdd/publication/1361/
http://www.ined.fr/en/resources_documentation/publications/pop_soc/bdd/publication/1420/