Canadian Journal of Family Law

Volume 26, Number 1, 2010

Rethinking Assisted Conception

Articles

Revisiting The Handmaid's Tale: Feminist Theory Meets Empirical Research on Surrogate Mothers - Karen Busby, Delaney Vun

After briefly reviewing laws on surrogate motherhood in Canada, the United States, and Britain, the authors consider nearly 40 empirical research studies on the characteristics and experiences of women who have been surrogate mothers. Empiricism meets feminist theory as we revisit arguments against surrogacy arrangements, including the inability to give informed consent, the inherently exploitative nature of the arrangements, and the dangers of commodification. In light of our observations based on the empirical research, we argue that it may be time to review Canadian surrogacy laws.

De-Anonymising Sperm Donors in Canada: Some Doubts and Directions - Angela Cameron, Vanessa Gruben, and Fiona Kelly

This paper addresses whether sperm-donor anonymity should continue in Canada and what the effects might be of abolishing anonymity, particularly for marginalized groups such as lesbian mothers. The first part of the paper outlines the legislative and historical context surrounding the donor anonymity debate in Canada. The second part of the paper addresses the interests of the various social and legal stakeholders, including donor-conceived offspring, the social and biological parents of those offspring, and sperm donors. The final segment outlines a twofold law reform agenda. First, it is proposed that Canada prospectively abolish donor anonymity in an effort to meet the health and psychological needs of donor-conceived children. Second, it is recommended that legal parentage laws be simultaneously amended so that the legal vulnerabilities women-led families currently experience, and which would be exacerbated by the de-anonymizing of donors, are removed.

An Alternative Conception: the Legality of Home Insemination under Canada's Assisted Reproduction Act -
Fiona Kelly

Despite access to fertility clinics, at-home self-insemination with the sperm of a known donor is a common practice amongst lesbian and single women. Home insemination is understood to provide several advantages over conception at a fertility clinic, particularly given the federal prohibition on sperm donation by donors who have had sex with other men. Despite the prevalence of the practice, there is some doubt in Canada as to whether home insemination is legal. While the Assisted Human Reproduction Act ("AHRA") does not explicitly address home insemination, it could be interpreted as outlawing the practice. This article addresses the legality of at-home insemination under the AHRA and argues that, despite what it might suggest about its legality, the practice should be protected by law.

Reponse jurisprudentielle a la pratique des meres porteuses au Québec: une difficile reconciliation -
Louise Langevin

Le présent article propose une analyse des récentes décisions des tribunaux québécois en matière de maternité de substitution. La jurisprudence interprète de façon très différente l'article 541 du Code civil, qui déclare nulles les conventions de maternité pour autrui. Mais semble se dessiner un courant en faveur d'une telle pratique, ce qui rejoint l'état du droit dans les provinces canadiennes. Le législateur devra donc clarifier les paramètres de la pratique des mères porteuses, puisque trop de questions sont laissées en suspend par les décisions récentes. L'auteure dénonce le discours d'égalité et d'altruisme présenté comme fondement à cette pratique. À son avis, la pratique des mères porteuses, avec ou sans apport génétique, à titre gratuit ou onéreux, conduit à l'exploitation des femmes, qui sont ramenées à leur rôle de reproduction. Cependant, compte tenu du fait que la maternité de substitution constitue maintenant une réelle option pour les couples infertiles et de la réaction positive des tribunaux québécois et canadiens, l'auteure considère que les contrats à titre onéreux, strictement encadrés par une loi, devraient être permis. Ainsi, la juste valeur du travail accompli par les femmes serait reconnue.

Case Comment

Access to Assisted Conception: A Call for Legislative Reform in Light of the Modern Family (Susan Doe v. Attorney General of Canada) - Lisa Feldstein

This paper explores the impact of laws regarding assisted conception and the discriminatory effect these laws have in light of non-traditional family forms. Specifically, it considers the Processing and Distribution of Semen for Assisted Conception Regulations and how these regulations serve to exclude certain individuals who do not fit into the "traditional" nuclear family model. The author critiques the judgement of Susan Doe v. Attorney General of Canada and calls for legislative reform in order for the laws to accurately reflect realities of the family in the 21st century.

General Article

Navigating Potentially Conflicting Political Rationalities: Discursive Strategies About "Family" in Alberta's Child Welfare Law - Joshua Friestadt

This paper empirically investigates how lawmakers navigate family law's contested terrain. Using Alberta's newest child welfare law, the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act (2004) as a case, I explain the discursive strategies used to pass this unique law through a socio-political context dominated by political rationalities with partially divergent ideas of "family." Analysis reveals two dominant discursive strategies. The first creates a discursive framework that expels welfarist rationalities and centers tensional neoliberal and neoconservative logics. The second navigates the tensions between neoliberal and neoconservative images of family by constituting the content of families as autonomous and responsible while leaving the form of families indeterminate. Together these strategies were flexible enough to ensure the law's passage through a divided legislature, while at the same time increasing interpersonal responsibility. I demonstrate that the only conclusion one can make about "family" in this context is that it is a calculation of responsibility that excludes the state. I problematize the techniques and concepts used to present this law and suggest reforms to make the construction of family law a more meaningfully inclusive process.

Book Review

The Best Interests of Children: An Evidence-Based Approach by Paul Millar - Gene C. Colman

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