Francesca Scala

Are assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilization a medical issue or a matter of public policy, subject to restrictions? In Delivering Policy, Francesca Scala employs the concept of boundary work to explain the prolonged debates that ensued when the Canadian government appointed a royal commission in 1989 to draw up a blueprint for legislative action.From the birth of the first "test tube baby" in 1978 to the Assisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004, Scala reveals how policy makers, civil society actors, and members of the medical-scientific community attempted to define assisted reproductive technologies from within the realms of science or politics. They challenged, defended, or blurred the boundaries or divisions between the two fields of knowledge to secure their position as the authoritative voice on the issue.Delivering Policy delineates in vivid detail the people, institutions, and processes that influenced ARTs policy in Canada. This compelling account contributes to our understanding of the interaction between science and politics, the exercise of social control over science and technology, and the politics of expertise in policy making.

Are assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilization a medical issue or a matter of public policy, subject to restrictions? In Delivering Policy, Francesca Scala employs the concept of boundary work to explain the prolonged debates that ensued when the Canadian government appointed a royal commission in 1989 to draw up a blueprint for legislative action.From the birth of the first "test tube baby" in 1978 to the Assisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004, Scala reveals how policy makers, civil society actors, and members of the medical-scientific community attempted to define assisted reproductive technologies from within the realms of science or politics. They challenged, defended, or blurred the boundaries or divisions between the two fields of knowledge to secure their position as the authoritative voice on the issue.Delivering Policy delineates in vivid detail the people, institutions, and processes that influenced ARTs policy in Canada. This compelling account contributes to our understanding of the interaction between science and politics, the exercise of social control over science and technology, and the politics of expertise in policy making.

Ideas of choice and rights traditionally dominate discussions concerning reproduction and gender politics. Fertile Ground argues that the current political climate in Canada necessitates a broader understanding of the links between the politics of reproduction, the state, and gender relations. Three major themes are developed in the book: women's lived experiences, the role of the state in reproductive politics, and discourses around reproduction. Contributors examine unequal access to in vitro fertilization treatments depending upon class, race, age, disability, and health status; critique Health Canada's adherence to a medical model of breastfeeding; analyze marketing campaigns for birth-control products; and recount the Aamjiwnaang First Nation's experience of seeking recognition for reproductive health concerns. Fertile Ground links reproduction to marginalization, contestation, and the state in order to illuminate the continuity of reproductive moments and their implications for identity, activism, policy formation, and further scholarship. A timely and multidisciplinary account of reproduction and gender politics in Canada, Fertile Ground will interest academics, activists, and professionals involved in the areas of women's studies, politics, sociology, and public health.

Ideas of choice and rights traditionally dominate discussions concerning reproduction and gender politics. Fertile Ground argues that the current political climate in Canada necessitates a broader understanding of the links between the politics of reproduction, the state, and gender relations. Three major themes are developed in the book: women's lived experiences, the role of the state in reproductive politics, and discourses around reproduction. Contributors examine unequal access to in vitro fertilization treatments depending upon class, race, age, disability, and health status; critique Health Canada's adherence to a medical model of breastfeeding; analyze marketing campaigns for birth-control products; and recount the Aamjiwnaang First Nation's experience of seeking recognition for reproductive health concerns. Fertile Ground links reproduction to marginalization, contestation, and the state in order to illuminate the continuity of reproductive moments and their implications for identity, activism, policy formation, and further scholarship. A timely and multidisciplinary account of reproduction and gender politics in Canada, Fertile Ground will interest academics, activists, and professionals involved in the areas of women's studies, politics, sociology, and public health.