Woman, not womb: A feminist examination of in vitro fertilization.

Women's choices over their reproductive parts and destiny (as some may call it) were controlled in the past by men, and while many believe that reproductive power presently resides in the hands of women, I believe that this is not the case. In this thesis I will examine the reproductive technology, in- vitro fertilization (IVF) and its effects on women. My intention is to bring to the forefront the social factors responsible for a woman's desire to bear children, and how these factors shape and determine her happiness and self-worth. I believe that the medical description and treatment of infertility as a diseased condition aids in the destructive mind-set that shapes an infertile woman's life. It is from this foundation that I ground my arguments for the restricted use of IVF. This thesis also examines the physical, emotional and psychological risks of IVF and the irrationality of spending money on a technology that (in the sweeping majority of times) does not actually help women. I also argue for the need of a radical reconstruction of women's identities; a reconstruction both shaped and created by women, hence liberating women from their often unacknowledged oppressed condition.Dept. of Philosophy.