RESUMO
Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic condition that affects only girls and women, leading to health issues including infertility. Patients usually require recombinant growth hormone, and sex hormone therapy. Based on our anthropological research in Poland, we posit questions regarding the management of societal expectations by female parents regarding the femininity of their daughters, especially within the context of infertility. We query: Is it possible to understand TS and its consequences as not only being an obstacle to future plans, but also having emancipatory potential? To answer this question, we refer to the concept of hope and analyze the interpretative work of mothers of girls with TS.
Assuntos
Infertilidade , Síndrome de Turner , Feminino , Humanos , Polônia , Antropologia Médica , MãesRESUMO
The Polish debate on in vitro fertilization (IVF) is extremely heated and highly politicized. The hierarchs of the Catholic vehemently oppose the use of IVF. In this text, I present the Church's approach to IVF. Basing on the documentary film, Three Conversations about Life, and ethnographic research, as well as an analysis of Vatican documents and official statements of Polish bishops, I show how the positions of clergy might influence private lives. I indicate series of tensions associated with the "politics of morality" of the Catholic Church and the daily lives of people, who have children thanks to IVF.
Assuntos
Catolicismo , Cristianismo , Fertilização in vitro , Política , Religião e Medicina , Criança , Clero , Serviços de Planejamento Familiar , Fertilização in vitro/psicologia , Humanos , Polônia , ReligiãoRESUMO
In Poland, there is a campaign to criminalise in vitro fertilization, led by the Catholic church. This article explores how this campaign makes "monsters" of IVF children in its discourse, that is, embodiments of "the other" in the sense of Frankenstein's monster. Basing the analysis primarily on Catholic mass media publications, the article investigates the discursive strategies employed to oppose IVF, most notably by the Catholic clergy and activists and journalists associated with the Church. They attribute "monstrosity" to the children in the following ways: physical (possible bodily deformity), psychological (survivor syndrome, identity crisis), social (loneliness, uncertain place in family relations), and ethical (a life burdened with the deaths of many embryos). Although the world of families with IVF does not provide examples of children who could be considered monsters in any of these terms, these arguments have become the primary reasons given for banning IVF.