November 01, 2007
Shauna Rempel
Toronto Star
Name: Penny Dowedoff
Age: 34
Program: PhD student in sociology at York University
Research: Reproductive tourism
The Issue: Reproductive tourism, wherein women and couples go outside their home country in order to receive fertility treatments, is a growing industry that brings with it the same ethical, legal and medical concerns as other types of medical tourism.
The pitch: Online ads for fertility clinics in Barbados or other reproductive tourism hot spots promise a chance to get pregnant in a vacation-like setting.
"It's linking medicine with tourism," Dowedoff says of the advertisements, which may appeal to couples who are sensitive to the social stigma of infertility.
"It's easier to say you're going on holiday than to say you're getting fertility treatments."
The money factor: As with any type of medical tourism, the practice can lead to a two-tier system with those who can afford the treatments effectively jumping the queue or circumventing the laws of their home country.
The individuals: Dowedoff is interviewing people who leave Canada to receive treatments such as in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination.
She's also looking at individuals who sell their own reproductive material such as sperm or eggs, which is illegal in Canada but legal in the United States and other jurisdictions.
"I'm not trying to portray them as villains or victims," says Dowedoff of Canadians who go outside the country for treatments that are illegal, expensive or impractical to receive here. "I'm just trying to understand their experiences and tease out these complex relationships."
Reproductive tourism has an impact not only on Canadian society, but also abroad.
In India, for example, doctors and nurses are lured to the lucrative clinics, which affects health care for locals.
There is also the potential for exploitation of surrogate mothers from developing countries, Dowedoff says.
The future: So far, although the often-controversial topic has gotten coverage in the media, not a lot of academic research has been done on reproductive tourism, Dowedoff says.
But that's sure to change: As more advances are made in reproductive technology, reproductive tourism will likely grow along with it.
Is it ethical for people with a lot of money to get these treatments, when people without money cannot?
Also, is it ethical for Canadians and Americans to take the attention of the best doctors in Barbados, India, and other places offering these services, if they are taking the medical attention away from the locals?
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1 comment:
I think that not only the rich of society should be entitled to this privilege. Everyone should be allowed to have the chance to be able to start a family as long as they have proof that they can support one. Secondly, some of the best doctors are being removed from these places in order to help North Americans, when really they should be helping their own, poorer countries. Hobbes’ idea of egoism is reflected in this situation. The people of North America are thinking of only themselves and what benefits them.
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