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Feminist Theory
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Feminist heterosexual imaginaries of reproduction

Lesbian conception in feminist studies of reproductive technologies

Petra Nordqvist

University of York, psn500{at}york.ac.uk

Reproductive technologies, such as self-arranged donor conception, clinical donor insemination and in vitro fertilization, now have an established place in lesbian reproductive practices, providing a route to conception which separates reproduction from heterosexual intercourse. This article explores how lesbian reproduction figures within feminist studies of reproductive technologies. It critically engages with representations of reproduction and structures of sexuality in early and more recent feminist studies of reproductive technologies. Specifically, the article investigates constructions of reproduction, technology and sexuality in key ethnographic studies by Sarah Franklin, Charis Thompson and Rayna Rapp. The findings suggest that heterosexuality is foundational to, and yet invisible within, this feminist research into reproductive technologies. Endorsing Chrys Ingraham's concept of a `heterosexual imaginary', I argue that this research reproduces a heterosexual imaginary of procreation, continuously representing conception as heterosexual despite the separation of conception and heterosexual sex realizable through reproductive technology. It effectively renders lesbian reproduction inconceivable.

Key Words: conception • feminist • heterosexual imaginary • heterosexual normativity • lesbian • reproductive technology

Feminist Theory, Vol. 9, No. 3, 273-292 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1464700108095851
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