Human Reproduction

Transnational reproductive mobility - empirical findings on a controversial practice

Abstract: Worldwide, more and more people are travelling abroad to fulfil their desire to have a child. In this working paper, we look at the market for reproductive medicine, particularly with regard to transnational reproductive mobility. The paper is based on a study commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and designed and conducted by the University of Bern.

In the first part of the working paper, we discuss the problem of reproductive mobility from a feminist and intersectional perspective – based on our own long-term research and with a focus on: changing realities of life, global networks, economisation and commercialisation of reproduction, multi-layered inequalities as well as the entanglement of reproductive procedures. In the second part, we present the results of the study conducted for the FOPH, which used quantitative social research methods to investigate how many Swiss residents travelled abroad in 2019, for what reasons and for which reproductive procedures. In the final part, we relate these findings to the current political debates on the legalisation of egg donation in Switzerland. On the one hand, we argue that discussions on legalising egg donation need to focus on socio-economic inequalities and the protection as well as the (long-term) health of potential “donors”. On the other hand, we contend that involuntary childlessness should not be addressed primarily through the introduction of new reproductive technologies, but through socio-political changes that facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life, and that enable and legally secure diverse family models.