Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Feminist Biopolitics II: Report

A report from this workshop, including notes from the discussions and further resources and references has been published on the Feminist Biopolitics website (linked above). The workshop included the following speakers:

Maureen McNeil

Feminist reproductive politics and analysis: maintaining a critical edge
Abstract

There is a strong tradition of feminist research in the area of reproductive science and medicine which began in the 1970s. Recently feminist scholars have begun to produce meta-narratives of the field itself (see esp. Thompson 2005). Awareness of this work and critical reflection on it is very important to ongoing research and policy in this field. In this presentation I want to reflect on some of the features of this field, some of the dilemmas arising within it, and some of the recent reviews of it. This will include consideration of:
  • technoscientific 'moral pioneers' (Rapp 1999)
  • technoscientific romance with innovation
  • technoscience in context


Clare Williams

Reflections on multidisciplinary research and innovative reproductive technologies
Abstract

All of my recent research collaborations have involved multidisciplinary research teams, and all have focused on the views of practitioners and scientists who work in the area of new medical technologies. In this paper, I focus on the implications for women’s health of the expansion of an innovative reproductive technology, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). I explore key ethical dilemmas which all focus around the ‘limits’ of reproductive autonomy. Drawing on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s three ethical principles (seriousness, risk and consistency) I examine discussions and debates around PGD for late onset/susceptibility conditions; the status of carrier embryos; the consistency of the reasons for PGD compared to prenatal diagnosis; and future developments such as pre-implantation genetic haplotyping, human embryonic stem cell research and increasing global reproductive tourism. To conclude, I highlight some broader questions in relation to multidisciplinary research on reproductive technologies and women’s health. Some points in the discussion of panel I:The discussion picked up on the issue of balance (which Maureen McNeil had highlighted as problematic) and compared this to ‘consensus’. It was noted that scholarship validates balance but that this is not necessarily a good thing – although it is normatively constructed as such. In relation to innovation it was noted that public engagement is now being built into the design of technologies (e.g. nanotechnology) and that this requires reflection on how ‘normalisation’ occurs.


Alexandra Plows

An autobiographical account of developing feminist methodologies

Sarah Parry

Doing and studying public engagement in stem cell research: Methodological issues for developing inclusive events on gender sensitive topics
Abstract

In this paper I will briefly discuss our findings from our first phase of fieldwork collected as part of an ESRC funded project: The Social Dynamics of Public Engagement in Stem Cell Research. Focusing on the issues raised by different tissue sources used to obtain stem cells, I will highlight some of the divergent views we have heard. From here, I will move on to discuss the methodological aspects of this project as we move into our next phase of research, which aims to bring different actors together around specific issues raised by stem cell research. Key issues for the research team include methods for encouraging a sociologically informed discussion and how to bring in our sociological analysis from the first round, thus avoiding over- privileging 'scientific' accounts of stem cell research. The need to balance participants' request for further information about stem cell research with our research aims for accessing complex issues, such as how women's bodies are constructed in stem cell research practices and discourses, remains a difficult balancing act for the research team.

No comments: