1995]
L SHANNER – THE RIGHT TO PROCREATE
The Right to Procreate: When Rights Claims
Have Gone Wrong
Laura Shanner”
Debates regarding the development of new reproduc-
tive technologies (NRTs), funding for infertility treatments,
and non-medical criteria for access to infertility treatments
frequently invoke “rights to reproduce” or “procreative
rights”. The claim of this right –
literally the right to have
children –
thing as many other
“reproductive rights” that are invoked in contraception,
abortion, and pregnancy management discussions.
the same
is not
The author argues that the claim of a right to bear or
beget children, which may in turn support research into
NRTs and then funding and access claims, is not justified.
Framing procreative decisions in terms of rights claims is a
problematic ethical project, which in turn creates difficulties
for the establishment of legal procreative rights. There are
two critical problems: first, the distinction between positive
(entitlement) and negative (liberty) rights claims leaves
those requiring reproductive assistance in need of a different
justification for their claims than those who need no help;
second, a procreative right is generally claimed to be limited
by the rights or interests of the future children, but a right of
non-conception is an intemally contradictory concept.
The author then discusses variations of procreative
rights claims, including claims of rights to enter reproduc-
tive contracts or to seek assistance, and other conceptual
foundations for reproductive decisions. Thus, while repro-
ductive rights are often helpful in protecting individuals and
intrusion, rights are
families from undue governmental
shown to be a problematic, inadequate, and inappropriate
framework to describe both the legal and moral status of
claims for assisted procreation.
Les d6bats entourant le developpement des nouvelles
techniques de reproduction (vNTR>>), i’accroissement des
fonds consacres aux traitements pour vaincre l’infertilit6
ainsi que l’emergence de critares non m&licaux quant ix
l’acc~s aux traitements de l’infertilit6 font souvent appel au
concepts de vdroit de reproduction> et odroit procreafifi. Ce
droit –
se dis-
tingue de plusieurs autres v
