Unraveling Surrogacy in Ontario, Canada

Although the Canadian government has attempted to
understand and regulate reproductive technology since
the Royal Commission on New Reproductive and Genetic
Technologies that ran from 1989 to 1993, it only
passed federal legislation known as the Assisted
Human Reproduction Act in 2004. Since the
ratification of this Act, the practice of third party
reproduction and more specifically surrogacy remains
a grey zone. Surrogacy involves a simple premise: a
woman gives birth to a baby that she will not parent.
This book is an ethnographic inquiry of surrogacy and
how it is lived in the Province of Ontario, Canada. I
examine and critique the Assisted Human Reproduction
Act (2004), in particular its problematic stance on
the commercialization and commodification of reproductive capacities. I also present narratives
by surrogates, gay fathers and lawyers on their
experience with surrogacy contracting, parentage laws
and gay fatherhood. This book is a small-scale and
qualitative ethnographic study spotlighting the
narratives of six core participants alongside a range
of data sources that include commission witness
testimony, federal reports and legal cases of parentage.

Autorentext

Shireen Kashmeri has an MA in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from Concordia University. She is currently a PhD Candidate at theUniversity of Toronto, Toronto. She lives and works in Toronto,Ontario.

Klappentext

Although the Canadian government has attempted tounderstand and regulate reproductive technology sincethe Royal Commission on New Reproductive and GeneticTechnologies that ran from 1989 to 1993, it onlypassed federal legislation known as the AssistedHuman Reproduction Act in 2004. Since theratification of this Act, the practice of third partyreproduction and more specifically surrogacy remainsa grey zone. Surrogacy involves a simple premise: awoman gives birth to a baby that she will not parent.This book is an ethnographic inquiry of surrogacy andhow it is lived in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Iexamine and critique the Assisted Human ReproductionAct (2004), in particular its problematic stance onthe commercialization and commodification of"reproductive capacities." I also present narrativesby surrogates, gay fathers and lawyers on theirexperience with surrogacy contracting, parentage lawsand gay fatherhood. This book is a small-scale andqualitative ethnographic study spotlighting thenarratives of six core participants alongside a rangeof data sources that include commission witnesstestimony, federal reports and legal cases of parentage.