Forschungsprojekt

Emerging norms and standards in transnational governing: ethics and imaginaries of reproductive technologies in Europe

The research project is concerned with the political discourse on artificial reproductive technologies (ART), particularly third-party reproduction, and cross-border reproductive care (CBRC) in Europe. The fragmentation of regulations on eggcell donation and surrogacy  among European states creates a legally uncertain situation for intending parents visiting fertility clinics abroad. Still, more and more people use the services of fertility clinics at European fertility hubs like Spain or the Czech Republic or in non-EU member states like Ukraine. This lack of legal harmonization or supranational political discussion invites to questions such as: how and which transnational standards are developing? Who are the stakeholders invested in that development? Informed by these questions, my research will consist of a discourse analysis of different political stakeholders advocating and lobbying within the field of ART and CBRC in Europe and a mapping of conflicting imaginaries of access and rights concerning reproductive technologies in Europe.