PROPIEDADES DE LAS ENZIMAS

Research for this project consisted of a literature review, content analysis of a selection of original documents that have contributed to policy surrounding assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and semi-structured in-depth interviews with representatives of organisations involved in the development, interpretation, and implementation of that policy. Literature surrounding infertility, rights and choice, the regulation and control of reproduction, and ethics in relation to ART was accessed from a variety of disciplines. These included sociological, feminist, political science, psychological, biomedical, and ethical perspectives and particularly drew on feminist discussions related to the politics of reproduction (O'Brien, 1981; Petchesky, 1990; Farquhar, 1996; Albury, 1999). This literature informs discussions throughout the thesis, particularly, but not exclusively, in relation to discussions about reproductive rights. As mentioned earlier, Farquhar (1996) provided an excellent starting point for my own positioning in the debate. She argues that the discourses surrounding ART contribute to the construction of “new identities and subjects, along with new expectations, fears, and conflicts” and that “both clients and resisters create new normative categories and new relationships to the technologies that in turn modify them” (Farquhar, 1996:7). O’Brien (1981) and Petchesky (1990) provided comprehensive theoretical analyses of the feminist politics of reproduction, while Albury (1999) explores the different discursive influences on women’s fertility decisions and experiences. She investigates what counts as evidence and who is an authorised expert in the political contests surrounding the regulation of fertility (Albury, 1999:2). Her argument

heterosexuality and family formation which shape policy debates” (Albury, 1999: back cover) helped shape the focus and structure of this thesis. Consequently, this thesis tries to look beyond these commonsense debates and investigate their influence on access restrictions to ART, the legal recognition of donor-assisted parenthood, and the rights of those involved in the formation of families using ART and donor gametes.

Although policy documents are only part of the discourse that surrounds policy formation and implementation, they are purposefully written to record or to provoke discussion of a social practice. Recognising the importance of policy documents in this context and, because of time and financial constraints, I decided to confine the research for this project to documents specifically produced to influence or establish ART policy. However, documentary evidence only represents formal policies and, as such, the philosophies and practices of the actors who shape policy ‘on the ground’ could not be accessed solely by an analysis of these documents. Therefore, I chose to use a combination of documentary analysis and in-depth interviews to explore the influences and motivations of the various commentators and formulators of policy in the ART policy debate.

Interviews with state agencies, fertility clinics and health providers, consumer groups, and academic commentators were seen as vital sources of information on ART policy. While I identified the documents as representing the ‘public’ account of ART policy, I anticipated that in-depth interviews would reveal some of the ‘private’ rationalisations offered by those who contributed to the policy debate. Appreciating that policy is not only influenced by decisions and documents produced by government organisations, I chose to include the more local areas of policy interpretation and implementation (Green & Thorogood, 1998:11). Therefore, non- governmental documents and interviews with non-governmental actors in the policy debate were also included. State produced documents included reports from ministerial committees, State commissioned discussion documents, and ministerial policy documents and annual reports. Non-governmental documents included submissions to the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, providers’ proposals to the Health Funding Authority (HFA), the New Zealand Infertility Society’s magazine, professional codes of practice, and privately produced discussion documents such as Protecting Our Future (Coney & Else, 1999). Interview participants from State agencies included representatives of the Ministry of Health, Te Puni Kökiri (Ministry of Mäori Development), and the Health Funding Authority (HFA). Actors who were interviewed outside the governmental realm included fertility clinic managers, the New Zealand Infertility

Society (NZIS) Executive Officer, the Family Planning Association (FPA) Medical Training Co- ordinator, health activists, and an academic.

Preliminary analysis of the policy documents had indicated that, while there were explicit agendas influencing the documents, there were also less obvious ideologies influencing some recommendations and guidelines. As Green and Thorogood (1998:157) point out,

Much policy making rests on implicit assumptions, … and each of these derive from a particular set of beliefs about the world and will influence the type of action (i.e. politics) which are aspired to, if not achieved. Thus … policies are the result of politics, that is, systematic ideas about how society does (or should) function.

Like Luker (cited in Reinharz, 1992:148), I anticipated that a comparison of ‘produced’ interview material with ‘found’ archives and organisational literature would enhance my understanding of the relation between individual understandings and the public discourses of organisations. I hoped that the in-depth interviews would indicate some of the underlying assumptions and beliefs that have contributed to the formulation of ART policy. However, I also anticipated that the interviews would provide an opportunity to gather private and/or unpublished documents that I would not otherwise have had access to, as well as providing me with more insight into how the policy process works ‘on the ground’. In addition, I wanted to examine what the differently situated organisations perceived to be the important issues, as well as analysing the silences and gaps in the policy discourse.