A study on honor to reproductive sell (egg, embryo)

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K02083
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gender
• Research Institution: Osaka Metropolitan University (2022); Osaka Prefecture University (2017-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Asai Michiko 大阪公立大学, 大学院現代システム科学研究科, 客員研究員 (10212466)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 卵子提供 / 代理出産 / 遺伝子診断 / 不妊治療

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Act on Provision of Assisted Reproduction Technology and the Special Provisions of the Civil Code Related to the Parent-Child Relationship of a Child Born As a Result of the Treatment was enacted in 2020, legally enabling the reproduction involving third persons aside from surrogate birth. In Japan artificial insemination using donated sperm has been practiced since 1949, and numerous babies have been born from donated ovum or surrogated pregnancy abroad.
Results of this study revealed that procuring ovum/sperm or pregnancy/childbirth from others is an act of severing the time sequence of life that those who contributed to others' reproduction are considered merely a means to an end and treated almost like a tool in the birth by assisted reproduction technology. Moreover, it reached the conclusion that children born by ART would tend to have existential owing to the lack of connection they feel with their families. Details of study results were organized in two books.

Free Research Field

社会学、社会哲学、生命倫理学、ジェンダー論

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

人工授精や体外受精は、他者の生殖身体（精子・卵子・妊娠出産）に依拠した生殖を可能とした。本研究は、この新しい生殖のあり様を日本における「生政治」という観点から分析している。日本では、臓器移植において「死」が決定できなかったように、不妊治療においては、非配偶者間生殖が秘匿される。それは生まれたばかりの子どもが養子に出される場合、特別養子縁組法という虚偽法により真実が曲げられるのと同様、不妊治療においても事実は隠蔽・歪曲される。これが日本における先端生殖医療の最適化あることを本研究で明らかにしている点が独創的である。また、実際に不妊治療を考える新たな視点を提示しており、社会的意義がある。