Just Looking ...

In our lecture on Feb. 10th about biopower, it has inclined me to think about fertility treatments and clinics that are so popular in our Western societies right now. Although in Canada, these clinics are not necessarily monopolized by the government, we, as a population, has been socialized by society to value individualism and free choice -- and part of this includes having the right to children (or our own biological children). However, is this, in and of itself, a source of social control?

Although at the surface, it seems that such treatments like IVF and surrogate pregnancies give an alternative way for infertile couples to have children of their own, they can easily embrace a sort of systemic inequality that manifest into social control. First and foremost, such treatments are very expensive and are not covered or subsidized by the government. This means that only infertile couples who are affluent and well-off can afford this alternative -- poorer infertile couples may not be so lucky. Secondly, there are numerous screenings involved before the couple can undergo these treatments. That is, there are rigorous checkings and interview to ensure that the couple has met the requirements. And such requirements are often very trivial to whether or not they make "good parents". They often include: employment/income, sexual orientation, past diseases/current health, etc. None of these requirements are overlooked by the government -- and thus all of them are controlled at the discretion of these fertility clinics and their boards. In effect, this allows for the middle/upper-class people to have a second chance at reproduction, while subtly denying those of the lower class to do the same. Indeed, with these fertility treatments, there is more at issue than just "infertility". With biopower comes an entirely new consideration on bioethics that must be included in the administration of such reproductive technologies.