A critical look at the new genetics: Conceptualizing the links between reproduction, gender and bodies

Shaped by an understanding of the impact of biotechnology on medical practice, this paper highlights some of the key issues that become visible in a critical analysis of the relationship between reproduction and genetics. The term 'reproductive genetics' is used sociologically and defined as the utilization of DNA-based technologies in the medical supervision of the reproductive process. Based on an empirical study of European experts, the paper is divided into two parts. First, it looks at the mobilization of genetics through surveillance medicine and the favouring of risk avoidance. Second, it highlights how a mechanistic view of the body is privileged in reproductive genetics. The central assumption, running throughout, is that the science of genetics is a part of disciplinary process, offering a limited view of the human body. This disciplinary process tends to conceal that what may appear as 'flawed genes' is all about bodies' interactions with their surroundings as well as gendered social customs valorized by difference and inflexible definitions of health and illness.