Globalised quests for assisted conception: Reproductive travel for infertility and involuntary childlessness

The global movement of people across international borders to undergo assisted reproductive treatment is common, although there is little accurate data. In this article, we synthesise findings from our own empirical research on reproductive travel in addition to a review of clinical, ethical, legal,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global public health Vol. 14; no. 12; pp. 1669 - 1688
Main Authors: Whittaker, Andrea, Inhorn, Marcia C., Shenfield, Francoise
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Taylor & Francis 02.12.2019
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Ambiguity
assisted reproductive technologies
Borders
Capitalism
Childlessness
Children
cross border reproductive care
Decision making
Destinations
Embryos
Ethics
Exploitation
Female
Gametocytes
Global economy
globalisation
Globalization
Humans
Inequality
Infertility
International trade
Internationality
Involuntary
Legal issues
Legal status
Medical Tourism
Mothers
Older women
Oocytes
Power
Preferences
Pregnancy
Religion
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted
Reproductive travel
Research methodology
Safety
Safety regulations
Scholarship
Social power
Surrogate mothers
Travel
cross border reproductive care
Reproductive travel
infertility
globalisation
assisted reproductive technologies
ISSN:1744-1692, 1744-1706, 1744-1706
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The global movement of people across international borders to undergo assisted reproductive treatment is common, although there is little accurate data. In this article, we synthesise findings from our own empirical research on reproductive travel in addition to a review of clinical, ethical, legal, and regulatory complexities from studies on reproductive travel since 2010. Motivations for travel include legal and religious prohibitions; resource considerations; lack of access to gametes and reproductive assistors; quality and safety concerns; and personal preferences. Higher risks to mothers and children are associated with multiple embryo transfer and subsequent multiple and higher order pregnancies and the average older age of women undertaking reproductive travel. The potential exploitation of other women as providers of oocytes or surrogacy services, the lack of equity in access to assisted reproduction and the ambiguous legal status of children conceived from international reproductive travel are important ethical considerations. A range of significant legal issues remain given variable and limited international regulation. Scholarship on this trade necessarily engages with issues of power and gender, social inequities, global capitalism and the private decision-making of individuals seeking to form families. Research gaps remain given recent changes in the organisation, demands and destinations of the trade.
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ISSN:1744-1692
1744-1706
1744-1706
DOI:10.1080/17441692.2019.1627479