GPA, motherhood in the context of new reproductive technologies. An Ecofeminist Perspective with Laura Corradi

Gestation for Others (GPA) has been back in the news in recent days after the right flaunted the weapon of prohibitive propaganda, declaring it a “universal crime.” While right-wing prohibitionism is not the solution, it has been clear for years that there are neoliberal movements in Italy to pass legislation that goes beyond the Gpa ban contained in law 40 on assisted reproductive services, thanks to whore altruism. A casual attitude to the GPA cannot be a solution to the problem as a prime example of how the assertion of biocapitalism, the total commodification of life, is increasingly prevalent in Western neoliberal democracies.

Over the years, the ethical, bioethical and political debate on this issue has led to a large internal split among the radical left, the LGBT movement and feminism. Emancipatory feminisms (eg, liberal feminism, neoliberal feminism) that fight for freedom from gender discrimination in society have taken a possible and often extremist line; while liberationist feminisms, more dedicated to structural and radical critiques of capitalist society as the greatest expression of patriarchy (ecofeminism, Marxist feminism, difference feminism, anarcho-feminism), have pointed the finger at the idea of ​​”motherhood for sale”. .

Ecofeminism, also drawing from indigenous epistemologies, speaks of a patriarchal colonization of female bodies by new reproductive technologies born from the depths of the uncertain development of today’s industrial society, from the Cartesian-Newtonian science that Vandana Shiva has defined as “patriarchal.” and chauvinist” – dependent on the neoliberal global market, where everything becomes a commodity. Where do we want to stay? What is the human limit of this practice? How far will the techno-capitalist dystopias of life go? We talk about this with Laura Corradi, ecofeminist sociologist, traveler and activist involved in feminist, queer environmental, pacifist, anti-racist, health and social rights movements. She taught feminist theory and the sociology of sexuality at Santa Cruz University in California, where she learned about the importance of the intersectional method and the importance of intersecting variables of class, gender, race/ethnicity/culture, age, sexual orientation, religion. status and different abilities, in sociological research. She has always conducted research with a decolonial approach in low-income ethnic communities, among refugees, among indigenous peoples in India, among Maori communities in New Zealand, and among Roma and Sinti in Europe, paying close attention to the development of indigenous feminism. . The author of books, scientific and popular articles, she is a great supporter of the processes of decolonization of knowledge and methodologies, starting from the point of view of the natives. Currently, she is a researcher and professor at the University of Calabria and focuses on the sociology of health and the environment, gender studies and the intersectional method. On the topic of GPA and reproductive technology, he wrote essays “Nel Ventre di un’altra” and “Embryonic Odyssey”.

Why is she so critical of Gpa?

This is an interesting question, because in some areas I am considered insufficiently critical of the average score – perhaps because I understand the reasons for those who think differently from me, even if they do not share them. I began to be interested in this issue in the 1990s when I was doing environmental cancer prevention in California, which is why I am very critical of the use of science in a capitalistic, patriarchal, racist, heteronormative sense – they contributed to the environmental crisis in our country, which is also one of the causes of the current infertility epidemic, I think it is important to get to the root of the problem if we are to understand it. Regarding assisted reproductive technologies, after studying the health problems associated with them, I took a political position based on the precautionary principle, respect for the body and health of women and unborn children.

Often the law exploits the fact that GPA was conceived to be used and consumed by same-sex male parents, but in reality today it is overwhelmingly used by wealthy heterosexual couples (Cameron Diaz, Cristiano Ronaldo, etc.). . Why do they come to take advantage of this practice? Is there a risk of drug pregnancy for purely aesthetic reasons?

In addition to the very wealthy who resort to GPA, there is a flood of infertile couples willing to make sacrifices, attracted by the promise of business with medical assistance (PMA), and the consent they give to invasive methods is certainly unaware of the problems. what they may encounter… Not to mention the international egg trade and exploitation of suppliers – even pre-pregnant women. Little is known about this.

Do you believe we can really talk about an “altruistic” GPA?

But why don’t we talk about co-motherhood, the transition from a nuclear family to more democratic forms, and the possibility of adoption for couples and single people, including LGBTQ+. In fact, there are too many stereotypes about this in our country.

Ukraine, Nepal, India and Thailand. The GPA supports the “reproductive tourism” of wealthy and white Westerners at the expense of the so-called “Third World”. When doing a cross-sectional analysis, does the GPA cross over strength, race, gender, and class?

Yes, of course, the intersectional method highlights systemic inequalities, and I’m happy that after 30 years of perseverance, this view is now accepted. India and Thailand have changed their laws – they no longer want to be colonies or mother countries. The problem also arises for other “underdeveloped” countries.

GPA, in vitro fertilization, cloning, gene editing are all new technologies that increasingly show that “science” is not “neutral” as certain research and discoveries are carried out as dependent on capitalist accumulation and stimulated by the market. As the ecowomen’s critique of Western science teaches, this also applies to human activities on Earth (GMOs, geoengineering, bioengineering, pesticides, cellular agriculture, etc.). How far will the development of techno-bio-capitalism go? Do reproductive technologies threaten women’s freedom?

Yes, in a sense, because they push them back to the biological imperative of procreation. In our patriarchal societies, where a jealous man can still kill you, women are valued more if they have children and given a status that childless women don’t have. Of course, science has its masters and godfathers: it is the large multinational corporations that determine in which direction we need to go, and this is a capitalist and militaristic direction, heteropatriarchal and aimed at dominating the West over the rest of the world.

There are also issues related to health, which you analyzed in your essays “In the Womb of Another” and “Fetal Odyssey”, in which you present ecofeminist critiques…

The ideas and arguments that I put forward in these books – where I point to studies demonstrating health problems in the unborn/and already in vitro fertilization – were not very successful at first. Philosophical debates have stalled, unfortunately also in the feminist arena, where I have taken a middle ground on women’s and children’s health. In my research, I prioritized the lowest common denominator that we still have in the feminist movement that would allow us an intersectional alliance: a health issue that has always united us since the self-managed counseling centers of the 70s.

What role did the Vatican play in these debates? Has the strong extremist ban prevented other solutions than the GPA from coming up?

The homotransphobia of the Vatican in recent decades has encouraged – for example, a veto on the adoption of homosexuals – the use of technology. This has been the case in the past with the prohibition of contraceptives, which has led to an increase in the number of abortions and unwanted children.

What is motherhood to her and how should the state intervene to protect her?

For me, motherhood is a social feeling independent of genetic connection. In my lifetime, I have responsibly contributed to the growth of 6 people. The last one turned 18 in June, and she calls me “magic mom” because I can solve problems. I think motherhood is wonderful; The state must intervene as little as possible, but fulfill its obligations in case of poverty, economic, labor or social problems, which may also interfere with the life of minors. And he must sensibly pass laws so that many children can have adults to help them grow, without that path including, as it is now, discrimination based on status, gender, class, sexual orientation.