Reproductive Autonomy and Genomic Medicine

Abstract

Abstract This chapter applies theories of relational autonomy and perfectionist liberalism discussed in Chapter 1 to concerns about reproductive decision-making in the age of reprogenetics. We complicate the assumption that prenatal genetic testing automatically increases women’s reproductive autonomy since it gives them more information with which to make pregnancy decisions, arguing that the particular context within which such decisions are made affects the degree to which prenatal genetic testing enhances or limits reproductive decision-making for specific women. Drawing from feminist legal theory and reproductive justice scholarship, we argue that the liberal commitment to privacy is vital yet insufficient for reproductive autonomy in practice. Rather than think of the state exclusively as a repressive force, we suggest the state can be a resource that effectively shifts resources to individuals who lack the information and means to achieve self-determination in reproduction. Hence, restraint and active support work together to expand women’s reproductive options.