What is it about?
Assisted reproductive technologies, such as in-vitro fertilization, are changing the ways that families are created and who we consider to be family members. In this study, I explore how Colombian women who underwent or were considering undergoing assisted reproductive treatments with donated eggs discussed their understanding of kinship. Half of the women were using eggs from a known-familial egg donor, while the other half used anonymous eggs.
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Why is it important?
The women discussed their understanding of relatedness based on their relationship with their wider family and their understanding of what it means to be an ideal Colombian citizen. This demonstrates that relatedness in Colombia does not only concern one's family but that it is also connected to wider socio-political factors, such as the country's long civil conflict and racial division. Thus, understandings of kinship is not only biological but also social.
Perspectives
I hope that this article will not only provide some information about how kinship is understood in the context of Colombia assisted reproduction, but also allow readers to think about how they understand their familial connections and how those connections go beyond sharing biological or genetic traits. Moreover, understanding how others think about relatedness will help us become more accepting of diverse family formations.
Dr Malissa Kay Shaw
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Familial and the Familiar: Locating Relatedness in Colombian Donor Conception, Medical Anthropology, September 2017, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2017.1371149.
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