Conceptualizing aged reproduction: genetic connectedness, son preference and assisted reproduction in North India

Abstract

In this paper, I explore the narratives on the administration of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments amongst ageing men and women who are past their ‘reproductive prime’. I use the phrase ‘past their reproductive prime’ with caution as ART has the capability to resurrect the desire, quest and conception of children amongst these ageing women and men. In rural agrarian Haryana in North India, ART panders to, and provides, potent narratives for perpetuation of the patrilineage for genetic continuity through the male line. The administration of ART treatments to this particular demographic is undertaken through the ‘operation’ of two particular forms of discourse: the desire for genetic perpetuity, and the pursuit of sons. In this enterprise, the aged pregnant body becomes an important trope of resurrecting childless marriages, evidenced by the secrecy surrounding the use of donated sperm, and the open rejection of adoption. Through an exploration of conceptualizations of pregnancy, age and legislation in India, I present the argument that ART supports the pursuit of genetic connectedness by resurrecting the social importance of genetic connectedness through sons and the pregnant wife. In this paper, I purposely engage with elements of the study of kinship and family in South Asia to undertake an analysis of how ART is used as part of a larger social narrative around conception and pregnancy amongst older married couples.