Produce or Perish
Generativity and New Reproductive Technologies
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8202029 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bonnie J Miller-Mclemore, Bonnie J Miller‐mclemore (0000-0003-2211-7405, Chicago Theological Seminary, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1991 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 39-69 |
| Publication date | 1991-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7189 • E-ISSN: 1477-4585 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/jaarel/lix.1.39 |
| OpenAlex | W1975952390 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 3 |
TECHNICAL DEBATES ABOUT new reproductive technologies (NRTs) capture daily headlines. Less prominent is what theologians think. Many leave these disputes to the scientists and medical ethicists with subspecialties in the finer mechanics of artificial reproduction. Although the specialization of the professions and the withdrawal of theologians to narrower and narrower spheres of discussion yields an increased depth of knowledge, it is a mistake. Behind the controversies surrounding reproductive technologies lie equally critical religious questions about human images of fulfillment and adult generativity. A theological perspective can draw attention to significant oversights within current conversations about the ethics of reproductive technologies. Only by comprehending complicated patterns of generativity, at heart a religious investigation of the nature of human realization, can we begin fairly to access and make moral decisions about NRTs. One contribution of theological analysis, encouraged and well done by the likes of Paul Tillich (1951-63; 1959) and others, is to reposition critical technical questions within a broader religious and cultural context. I first conceived the ideas that gave rise to this article while teaching two courses, one on medical ethics and the other on feminist psychology. Reading books for the latter, like Mary Field Belenky's (et al.) Women's Ways of Knowing or Anne Wilson Schaef's Women's Reality, intensified my sensitivity to the different ways of knowing or realities of students in the former. At the same time, my son turned two; my husband and I wanted a second child. I had already apprehended the critical place that becoming a mother had played in my own self-understanding. But the intense pressures I felt to conceive again came unexpectedly. Despite the mutuality in our marriage, I saw in a fresh way
Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Philosophy · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |