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Gender and the New Reproductive Technologies in Latin America

  • Local/Global Encounters
  • Published:
Development Aims and scope

Abstract

Liliana Acero focuses on the proliferation of new reproductive technologies (NRTs) in Latin America, pointing out that little objective research has been carried out on their impact. Acero illustrates the specific way new reproductive technologies are impacting upon women's bodies, tissues, reproductive capacities and rights. She argues that it is critical to involve local women's movement, international health NGOs in policy and action on NRTs from a southern social and gender justice perspective.

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Notes

  1. Some developing countries are leaders mainly in agricultural biotechnologies, like Brazil, India, South Africa and China, while to others they are practically unknown.

  2. MDGs have been adopted by all members of the United Nations in 2000. The most relevant for NRTs are: one, the eradication of poverty; three, the promotion of gender equality; five, the improvement of maternal health and eight, the development of global partnerships.

  3. Among them: in vitro spermatogenesis, in vitro growth and maturation of oocytes, pregnancies with non-ejaculated sperm, spermatogonial stem-cell maturation and ICSI treatments.

  4. Among others, International Health Action, The International Association of Consumers, Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (Acero, 2005: 157–167).

  5. Norplant, an under-skin surgical hormonal device for long-term contraception, had internationally proved to have uncomfortable and even dangerous side effects.

References

  • Balmaceda, Juan, Victor Galdames and Fernando Zegers-Hochschild (2000) Registro Latinoamericano de Reproducción Asistida 2000, Colombia: LARA.

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  • Vayena, Effy, Peter Rowe and David Griffins (2003) Current practices and controversies in assisted reproduction, WHO Report on a meeting on ‘Medical, ethical and social aspects of assisted reproduction’, WHO headquarters, 17–21 September 2001, Geneva: WHO.

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  • WHO (2002) Genetics and World Health, The Advisory Committee on Health Research, Geneva: WHO.

Further Reading

  • Acero, Liliana (2005) ‘Globalization, Gender and Health: A perspective on Latin American sexual and reproductive health, in Ilona Kickbusch, Kari Hartwig and Justine List (eds.) Globalization, Gender and Health in the 21st Century, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

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  • Acero, Liliana (2006) ‘Trends in Latin American New Reproductive Technologies and Gender: Social practices, ethics and views on motherhood, in Peter Atkinson and Robert Glasner (eds.) New Genetics and New Identities, London: Routledge.

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  • Alan Guttmacher Institute (1999) ‘Sharing responsibility: Women, society and abortion worldwide, unpublished report. New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute.

  • Barroso, Carmen and Sonia Correa (1995) ‘Public Servants, Professionals and Feminists: The politics of contraceptive research in Brazil, in Florence Ginsburg and Rayna Rapp (eds.) Conceiving the New World Order, Berkeley: The University of California Press.

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  • Daar, Abdallah, Douglas K. Martin, Shauna Nast, Alyna C. Smith,, Peter A. Singer and Halla Thorsteinsdóttir (2000) ‘Top 10 biotechnologies for improving health in developing countries’, Nature Genetics 32 (2): 229–232.

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  • Darnovsky, Marcy (2003) ‘Cloning and Germline Intervention: Perspectives from the United States on reproductive technologies and biomedicine, paper given at a conference on ‘Within and Beyond Human Nature’, Berlin, Germany, 13 October 2003.

  • ESHRE Capri Workshop Group (2000) ‘Multiple gestation pregnancy’, Human Reproduction 15: 1856–1864.

  • LARA (1998) ‘Registro Latinoamericano de Reproduccion Asistida, unpublished report, Colombia: LARA.

  • Luna, Florencia (2003) ‘Assisted Reproduction in Latin America: Some ethical and sociocultural issues’, in Effy Vayena, Peter Rowe and David Griffins (eds.) Current Practices and Controversies in Assisted Reproduction, WHO Report on a meeting on ‘Medical, Ethical and Social Aspects of Assisted Reproduction’, WHO headquarters, 17–21 September 2001, Geneva: WHO.

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  • Rede Saúde (2003) ‘Dossiê Reprodução Humana Asistida, unpublished report, São Paulo: Rede Feminista de Saúde, Direitos Sexuais e Direitos Reprodutivos.

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Authors
  1. Liliana Acero
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Illustrates how new reproductive technologies are impacting upon women's bodies, tissues, reproductive capacities and rights

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Acero, L. Gender and the New Reproductive Technologies in Latin America. Development 49, 135–140 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.development.1100319

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.development.1100319

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