The philosophical aim of this dissertation is to determine the best social arrangements for bearing and rearing children in the context of emerging reproductive technologies. A novel feature of my account is that it follows the form of a thought-experiment—imagining a world where artificial womb technology offers a nonphysical alternative to pregnancy. In chapter one, I consider whether gestational motherhood ought to be abolished and replaced with a state-run institution of artificial wombs. While the latter arrangement would admittedly promote equality of opportunity among fetuses, I argue that it conflicts with the fundamental rights of gestational mothers. In chapter two, I consider whether the state should impose licensing regulations on parents and procreators to ensure children are provided adequate care. I offer a series of objections to licensing by challenging the analogical argument between parents and professionals, as well as the assumption that parents’ incompetence is responsible for the harms done to children. I then defend a less invasive alternative to licensing, suggesting that the focus of reform should be on ensuring adults acquire obligations to provide childcare voluntarily. However, limited reproductive options pose a problem insofar as a woman who finds herself unintentionally pregnant may have no choice but to continue providing gestational care. Thus, in chapter three, I argue that artificial wombs ought to be a widely-available reproductive option such that women can opt-out of pregnancy. On my account, childbearing should be performed by willing mothers, and childrearing should be performed by willing parents. In chapter four, I shift focus to determine what children are morally owed. More specifically, I defend a new interpretation of the child’s right to an open future that pays special attention to the challenges of parenting in a morally imperfect world.

Depuis le boom pétrolier (tafra) des années 1970 et l’émergence des Etats rentiers, l’institution de la famille a connu d’importants changements dans les pays du Golfe, notamment à Oman et au Koweït. En particulier, le mariage et la procréation, deux événements clés qui servent à reproduire la famille, ont été affectés. Le « modèle de nuptialité traditionnel » longtemps caractérisé par un mariage précoce et universel, un écart d’âge important entre époux et la polygamie semble aujourd’hui remis en cause par l’enrichissement matériel, l’éducation de masse, l’urbanisation et les progrès sanitaires. En plus d’une transition de la nuptialité, on observe une transition de la fécondité dans les deux pays. Cependant, l’application des hypothèses de la théorie de la modernisation dans la casuistique des pays pétroliers produit des schémas démographiques atypiques : le maintien du mariage consanguin, l’émergence de nouvelles formes « non conventionnelles » de polygamie, la hausse du douaire, une fécondité toujours élevée, des choix matrimoniaux toujours déterminés par la famille et l’Etat, etc. Ces schémas obligent à repenser les schémas linéaires et déterministes des théories de la modernisation toujours utilisées en démographie, et à saisir les dynamiques adaptatives de la famille face au paradigme moderne. Intégrer la dimension politique permettra de comprendre certains de ces paradoxes. Bien que l’Etat ait incité à la modernisation des comportements démographiques, il semble avoir favorisé sur un autre front des pratiques matrimoniales et procréatives traditionnelles dans le but de consolider l’identité nationale. Les Etats rentiers ont pu, à travers le déploiement de moyens matériels et idéologiques transmettre des idéaux natalistes et prolonger le patriarcat. A travers les entretiens semi-directifs menés à Oman et au Koweït avec plusieurs générations, cette étude cherchera à situer les comportements dans un contexte économique, culturel et politique déterminé. / Since the oil boom and the emergence of rentier states, Gulf families have undergone tremendous changes, notably in Oman and in Kuwait. Particularly, marriage and procreation which represent two major events for reproducing the family, have been transformed. The traditional nuptiality model, characterized by early and universal marriage, age difference between spouses and polygamy seems today questioned by the material affluence, mass education, urbanization and health advances. In addition to a nuptiality transition, a fertility transition has been also observed. However, the application of modernization theory hypothesis in the cases of oil countries produces atypical demographical patterns: preservation of consanguineous marriage, new forms of “non conventional” polygamy, preservation of still high fertility rate, soaring bride prices, matrimonial choices still dictated by family and state. These patterns oblige us to reconsider the linear an determinist patterns of the modernization theory which is still used in demography; as to better understand the adaptive dynamics of the family in front of the modern paradigm. The introduction of the political dimension helps us understand some of these paradoxes. Although the state has encouraged the modernization of demographic behavior, it has in another side favored traditional practices related to marriage and procreation, in the aim of consolidating the national identity. The rentier states, through material an ideological means, could have enhanced natalist ideals and reinforce patriarchy. Through semi directives interviews conducted in Oman and Kuwait with different generations, this study seeks to situate the behaviors in a political, cultural and economic context.

En janvier 2007, à 28 ans, Louise Brown est devenue maman. Trente ans, c'est le temps qu'il faut à une génération pour se renouveler. C'est aussi le temps, si bref à l'échelle de l'histoire, pour que les bouleversements induits par la science et les moeurs au ~e siècle modifient profondément le visage de la famille et de son ciment le plus intime, la filiation. Ce travail rend compte de la manière dont le droit appréhende ces changements dans des sociétés occidentales de plus en plus tiraillées entre leurs racines judéo-chrétiennes et leurs aspirations technologiques. Il cherche à comprendre la place du droit dans les nouveaux édifices familiaux et à évaluer la qualité des solutions que celui-ci propose face aux enjeux multiples et complexes de la procréation assistée. Il s'attache pour ce faire à l'examen de deux juridictions partageant un héritage commun à bien des égards, mais suivant des voies normatives différentes : la Suisse et le Québec. À ce titre, il définit des outils conceptuels nécessaires à la compréhension de la notion de filiation; il rend compte de la façon dont le droit a manipulé ces outils en régissant l'établissement de la filiation, la preuve de la filiation et la procréation assistée à proprement parler; et il conclut par une évaluation critique des solutions envisagées dans les deux systèmes étudiés. Il met ainsi en exergue les enjeux de la procréation assistée pour le droit de la filiation et la grande palette de solutions législatives envisageables. Il démontre que deux systèmes de droit peuvent traduire des préoccupations partagées par des dispositions diamétralement opposées. En particulier, l'égalité, la liberté et le bien de l'enfant se concrétisent selon des conceptions distinctes. L'attachement aux institutions se manifeste à des degrés variables. Les innovations scientifiques sont accueillies avec un enthousiasme plus ou moins soutenu. Tous ces facteurs sont les détenninants des familles suisse et québécoise, qui, pour s'être longtemps ressemblées, prennent aujourd'hui des chemins différents...mais pas irrémédiablement irréconciliables. / In January 2007, at the age of 28 years, Louise Brown became a mother. Thirty years is the necessary time for a new generation to bloom. It is a short period on the scale of human history, but it was enough to provoke the huge changes induced by science and manner evolutions during the XXth century and deeply modify the face of the family and its most intimate cement: the filial status. This work presents the way in which Law apprehends these changes in Westem societies that are increasingly tom between their Judeo-Christians roots and their technological aspirations. It seeks to understand the place of Law in new family structures and to evaluate the quality of the solutions that Law proposes to take the multiple and complex risks of assisted procreation into account. With this intention, it sticks to the examination of two places sharing a common heritage to many regards, but having different normative ways: Switzerland and Quebec. To do so, it defines conceptual tools that are necessary for the very meaning offilial status to be understood. It accounts for the way in which Law handles these tools by goveming the establishment of the filial status and its proof as weIl as assisted procreation. It concludes by a critical evaluation of the solutions under consideration in the two systems studied. It thus highlights the risks of assisted procreation for Law and the large pallet of possible legislative solutions. It shows that two systems can translate shared concems into diametrically opposite norms. In particular, equality, freedom and the best interest of the child are principles concretized according to distinct designs. The attachment to the institutions appears with variable degrees. The scientific innovations are accommodated with a more or less constant enthusiasm. All these factors have an important impact on families in Switzerland and in Quebec: after being similar for a long time, today they follow different paths... but these might not be irremediably irreconcilable.

Cette thèse propose d’étudier les choix et les pratiques relatifs à la fécondité et au contrôle des naissances à travers le prisme des rapports de genre à l’œuvre au sein du couple palestinien et ce, dans un contexte social, économique et politique marqué par l’instabilité et une importante restriction à la mobilité. La recherche s’appuie sur une analyse secondaire des données d’enquête menée par le Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics en 2006 auprès de 5266 Palestiniennes mariées âgées de 15 à 54 ans et sur une enquête de terrain réalisée entre 2010 et 2011 en Cisjordanie et à Jérusalem-Est auprès de Palestiniens mariés, de personnels médicaux et acteurs du développement qui travaillent sur la question des femmes et de la santé reproductive. J’ai tout d’abord mis au jour les principales évolutions sociodémographiques de la société palestinienne. Puis, j’ai exploré les caractéristiques de la structure conjugale palestinienne, le fonctionnement interne du couple et la perception qu’en ont les partenaires qui le composent. L’analyse révèle un large spectre de comportements, du plus conforme aux normes et aux valeurs véhiculées par la société, jusqu’au plus individualisé ou « conjugalisé », obéissant à des logiques continuellement rediscutées et réajustées entre les conjoints. Ce travail montre également comment le contexte socio-politique façonne les trajectoires individuelles ou conjugales et participe au réagencement des rapports entre conjoints. Enfin, j’ai examiné l’organisation conjugale de la procréation. Les résultats mettent en lumière les choix et les pratiques relatifs à la fécondité et au contrôle des naissances et ce, de manière différenciée selon les relations et les rapports de genre à l’œuvre au sein du couple. Ces comportements dépendent par ailleurs des représentations et des normes procréatives socialement véhiculées. Plus globalement, cette recherche donne à voir des transformations des rôles conjugaux, modifiant en particulier les représentations de la masculinité et de la féminité et soulignant l’existence d’un couple plus autonome, égalitaire et investi de liens affectifs. / This PhD aims to study the choices and practices relating to fertility and birth control through the prism of gender relations within the Palestinian couple, in a social context, marked by economic and political instability and a significant restriction on mobility. This research combines two complementary approaches. First, we made a secondary analysis of the Palestinian Family Health Survey (PFHS) conducted in 2006 by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Only the women at reproductive age (15-54 years) who were married at the time of the survey (N=5,266) were selected for this study. Second, the analysis is based on a field survey conducted between 2010 and 2011 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem with Palestinian spouses, medical workers and development actors working on women's issues and reproductive health. First of all, we highlight the main sociodemographic evolutions of the Palestinian society. Then, we explored the characteristics of the Palestinian conjugal structure: the functioning of the couple and the perception that the partners have on themselves. The analysis reveals a wide spectrum of behaviors: from compliance with the standards and values disseminated by the society, until the most individualized or "conjugalized". This work also underlines how the socio-political context shapes the individual or marital trajectories and participates in the re-organization of relationships between spouses. Finally, we examined the conjugal organization of procreation. The results highlight the choices and practices relating to fertility and birth control and show that these behaviors are differentiated according to gender relations within couple. These behaviors also depend on representations and procreative norms which are socially disseminated. On the whole, this research allows one to see transformations in marital roles, more particularly in representations of masculinity and femininity. It also underlines the existence of a more autonomous, more equal and loving couple.

A pesquisa aqui relatada foi realizada com 08 casais inférteis em tratamento na Unidade de Medicina Reprodutiva e Imaginologia de um hospital-escola do interior paulista. A fim de compreendermos o instigante fenômeno da infertilidade, acessamos a vivência desses colaboradores mediante uma questão norteadora: Gostaria que você contasse para mim a sua vivência afetivo-sexual durante o namoro, a partir de seu casamento, quando decidiram engravidar, quando perceberam que tinham dificuldade de engravidar e durante a trajetória clínica da investigação e tratamento da infertilidade. Para análise de seus relatos, utilizamos a metodologia qualitativa, alicerçada na fenomenologia, que consiste na leitura e releitura dos depoimentos, discriminção das unidades de significado, elaboração de categorias e identificação das convergências e divergências encontradas em seus discursos. Para o entendimento de suas declarações, nos apoiamos nas perspectivas psicológica, biológica, sociocultural, histórica e da sexologia. Ao analisarmos os depoimentos, destacaram-se as seguintes categorias de significado: 1) Lembranças do tempo de namoro; 2) A arte do convívio a dois; 3) Desvendando a intimidade sexual; 4) A busca por uma ajuda especializada; 5) O estigma da infertilidade; 6) O filho como projeto de vida; 7) A menstruação como marcador de (in)sucesso do tratamento. Como resultado, percebemos que os casais planejam uma família com filhos biológicos, ou seja, uma família nuclear: pai, mãe, filho, partindo do pressuposto que eles têm o controle da função reprodutora. Entretanto, ao deparar-se com a dificuldade de engravidar, buscam um culpado pela infertilidade. Tornam o sexo mecânico, voltado só para a procriação, sentem-se estigmatizados por sua importência e veem a menstruação como sinônimo de fracasso do tratamento. A perda do controle da função procriadora os leva a buscar por novas tecnologias de RHA. E diante do insucesso do tratamento, muitos casais partem para a adoção, construindo uma família adotiva. / The research reported here was conducted with 08 infertile couples undergoing treatment at the Reproductive Medicine and Imaginology Unit of a teaching hospital in the countryside of Sao Paulo state. In order to understand the intriguing phenomenon of infertility, we assessed the experience of these couples by one question: I would like you to tell me your experience during sexual-affective relationship when you were dating, after getting married, when you decided to get pregnant, when you realized you had difficulty to get pregnant and during the course of clinical research and treatment of infertility. For analysis of their reports, we used a qualitative methodology based on phenomenology, which consists of reading and rereading of testimonies, discrimination of the units of meaning, development of categories and identification of similarities and differences found in their speeches. In order to understand their statements, we rely on the psychological, biological, sociocultural and historical perspectives as well as sexology. In reviewing the testimonies, the highlights are the following categories of meaning: 1) Memories of time of dating, 2) The art of living as a couple, 3) Revealing sexual intimacy; 4) The search for expert help, 5) The stigma of infertility, 6) The child as a life project; 7) The menstruation as a marker of (un) successful treatment. As a result, we realized that couples plan a family with biological children, that is, a nuclear family: father, mother, son, assuming that they have the control of reproductive function. However, when faced with the difficulty of getting pregnant, they seek something to blame for infertility. Sex becomes mechanic, aiming at procreation only; they feel stigmatized by their impotence and see menstruation as a synonym for treatment failure. The loss of control of the procreative function leads to the search for new AHR technologies. And faced with the failure of treatment, many couples decide to adopt a child, building an adoptive family.

Žmogaus reprodukcinės teisės turėtų būti suprantamos kaip galimybė nevaisingiems asmenims dirbtinių technologijų pagalba susilaukti vaikų bei įgyvendinti savo teisę turėti šeimą. Aptariant dirbtinio apvaisinimo technologijų prieinamumą asmenų atžvilgiu reikėtų atsižvelgiant į šeimos instituto pokyčius bei užtikrinti, kad nevaisingiems santuokoje ar partnerystės santykiuose esantiems asmenims, o taip pat vienišoms moterims būtų užtikrinta galimybė susilaukti vaikų dirbtinių technologijų pagalba. Dirbtinis apvaisinimas yra ligos, t .y. nevaisingumo gydymo būdas, todėl asmenims besinaudojantiems dirbtinio apvaisinimo procedūromis turėtų būti taikomi pacientų teisių apsaugos principai: teisė į informuotą sutikimą, privataus gyvenimo apsaugą ir t.t. Dabartinė dirbtinio apvaisinimo teisinė reglamentacija Lietuvoje yra netinkama, nes skirtingai nei to reikalauja LR civilinis kodeksas, dirbtinio apvaisinimo klausimai yra reguliuojami poįstatyminiu aktu, kas iš esmės prieštarauja LR Konstitucijos nuostatoms. Reglamentuojant dirbtinio apvaisinimo klausimus turėtų būti atsižvelgta į asmenų skirtingų interesų kolizijas siekiant išvengti žmogaus teisių pažeidimų. Kalbant apie dirbtinį apvaisinimą būtina atsižvelgti į būsimo vaiko, gimusio dirbtinio apvaisinimo būdu, teisių bei teisėtų interesų apsaugą, ypač reglamentuojant tėvystės bei motinystės nustatymo klausimus, vaiko teisę žinoti savo kilmę. Be to, kadangi dirbtinis apvaisinimas sukelia asmenų norinčių susilaukti vaikų bei embriono... [to full text] / Human reproductive rights should be understood as the persons right to found family and possibility for infertile people to procreate with assistance of artificial insemination technologies. Infertile people should have access to assisted procreation with regard to changing concept of family: family - means married couple or people living together without registering marriage, also single woman with a child. In addition to this, if people are infertile, it should be possible for them to have an access to all kind of treatment, including assisted procreation, so people who are undergoing these procedures should exercise such patients rights as a right to informed consent, a right to private life. Lithuania doesn’t have an appropriate regulation of assisted procreation: according to Civil code all the issues related to assisted procreation must be regulated with law. In spite of this, procedures of artificial procreation are regulated with instruction of Ministry of Health Care. Such an inappropriate regulation might be even found unconstitutional. Moreover, many moral and also legal problems arise from this medical procedure: there is always a collision between infertile persons wish to have children and embryos right to life, because not all the embryos are used to the family plan, part of them are frozen or destroyed. If the donors or surrogate mother takes part in assisted procreation, questions of parenthood and children right to know their origin arise. These are the... [to full text]

En janvier 2007, à 28 ans, Louise Brown est devenue maman. Trente ans, c'est le temps qu'il faut à une génération pour se renouveler. C'est aussi le temps, si bref à l'échelle de l'histoire, pour que les bouleversements induits par la science et les moeurs au ~e siècle modifient profondément le visage de la famille et de son ciment le plus intime, la filiation. Ce travail rend compte de la manière dont le droit appréhende ces changements dans des sociétés occidentales de plus en plus tiraillées entre leurs racines judéo-chrétiennes et leurs aspirations technologiques. Il cherche à comprendre la place du droit dans les nouveaux édifices familiaux et à évaluer la qualité des solutions que celui-ci propose face aux enjeux multiples et complexes de la procréation assistée. Il s'attache pour ce faire à l'examen de deux juridictions partageant un héritage commun à bien des égards, mais suivant des voies normatives différentes : la Suisse et le Québec. À ce titre, il définit des outils conceptuels nécessaires à la compréhension de la notion de filiation; il rend compte de la façon dont le droit a manipulé ces outils en régissant l'établissement de la filiation, la preuve de la filiation et la procréation assistée à proprement parler; et il conclut par une évaluation critique des solutions envisagées dans les deux systèmes étudiés. Il met ainsi en exergue les enjeux de la procréation assistée pour le droit de la filiation et la grande palette de solutions législatives envisageables. Il démontre que deux systèmes de droit peuvent traduire des préoccupations partagées par des dispositions diamétralement opposées. En particulier, l'égalité, la liberté et le bien de l'enfant se concrétisent selon des conceptions distinctes. L'attachement aux institutions se manifeste à des degrés variables. Les innovations scientifiques sont accueillies avec un enthousiasme plus ou moins soutenu. Tous ces facteurs sont les détenninants des familles suisse et québécoise, qui, pour s'être longtemps ressemblées, prennent aujourd'hui des chemins différents...mais pas irrémédiablement irréconciliables. / In January 2007, at the age of 28 years, Louise Brown became a mother. Thirty years is the necessary time for a new generation to bloom. It is a short period on the scale of human history, but it was enough to provoke the huge changes induced by science and manner evolutions during the XXth century and deeply modify the face of the family and its most intimate cement: the filial status. This work presents the way in which Law apprehends these changes in Westem societies that are increasingly tom between their Judeo-Christians roots and their technological aspirations. It seeks to understand the place of Law in new family structures and to evaluate the quality of the solutions that Law proposes to take the multiple and complex risks of assisted procreation into account. With this intention, it sticks to the examination of two places sharing a common heritage to many regards, but having different normative ways: Switzerland and Quebec. To do so, it defines conceptual tools that are necessary for the very meaning offilial status to be understood. It accounts for the way in which Law handles these tools by goveming the establishment of the filial status and its proof as weIl as assisted procreation. It concludes by a critical evaluation of the solutions under consideration in the two systems studied. It thus highlights the risks of assisted procreation for Law and the large pallet of possible legislative solutions. It shows that two systems can translate shared concems into diametrically opposite norms. In particular, equality, freedom and the best interest of the child are principles concretized according to distinct designs. The attachment to the institutions appears with variable degrees. The scientific innovations are accommodated with a more or less constant enthusiasm. All these factors have an important impact on families in Switzerland and in Quebec: after being similar for a long time, today they follow different paths... but these might not be irremediably irreconcilable. / "Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de Maîtrise en droit (LL.M.) Option biotechnologies". Ce mémoire a été accepté à l'unanimité et classé parmi les 5% des mémoires de la discipline. Commentaires du jury : "Le jury est unanime à reconnaître l'excellence de ce mémoire, tout particulièrement la qualité de l'étude comparative. La candidate devrait soumettre son mémoire pour des prix".

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur några pedagoger i förskolan bemöter och arbetar med barns tankar och frågor om fortplantning. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med tio pedagoger, verksamma på tre olika förskolor, undersökte jag hur de arbetar med frågor som berör fortplantning. Studien tar upp möjligheter och hinder som pedagoger stöter på i detta arbete, samt likheter och skillnader i pedagogers förhållningssätt till ämnet. Resultatet visar att det finns flera olika aspekter och synsätt när det gäller lärande om fortplantning. Barnens frågor och funderingar står i fokus och är avgörande för hur pedagogerna arbetar inom området. Pedagogerna använder sig av böcker, internet och filmer om de vill arbeta med lärande om fortplantning. När de jobbar med lärande om växter och djurs reproduktion ger de sig ut i naturen. Pedagogerna ser svåra ord och begrepp som ett hinder för samtal om fortplantning. De menar också att föräldrars åsikter i ämnet samt olika kulturer kan problematisera deras arbete. Pedagogerna är eniga om att deras eget engagemang är mycket viktigt i arbetet med lärande om fortplantning. Några av pedagogerna anser att det är ett enkelt ämne att arbeta med medan några tycker att det är problematiskt. / The purpose of this study is to research how some pre-school teachers respond to children´s thoughts and questions about the reproductive process in their teaching. The study is conducted through qualitative interviews with ten teachers from three different pre-schools. The findings show both possibilities and difficulties that the teachers encounter in this area, as well as the teachers’ different approaches to the subject. The results show that there are several different aspects and views concerning the reproductive process teaching. The children’s own questions are of vital importance to the choice of pedagogic methods in this subject. The teachers use books, the internet and films, as well as outdoor excursions when teaching the reproduction process in plants and animals. Conclusions show that abstract words and concepts form obstacles in the dialogues about the reproductive process. The didactics can also be rendered more difficult by parental views and different cultures. The teachers unanimously pointed to their own commitment as a key factor to success in the reproductive process teaching. Some of the teachers find this an easy subject to teach while others find it problematic.

A pesquisa aqui relatada foi realizada com 08 casais inférteis em tratamento na Unidade de Medicina Reprodutiva e Imaginologia de um hospital-escola do interior paulista. A fim de compreendermos o instigante fenômeno da infertilidade, acessamos a vivência desses colaboradores mediante uma questão norteadora: Gostaria que você contasse para mim a sua vivência afetivo-sexual durante o namoro, a partir de seu casamento, quando decidiram engravidar, quando perceberam que tinham dificuldade de engravidar e durante a trajetória clínica da investigação e tratamento da infertilidade. Para análise de seus relatos, utilizamos a metodologia qualitativa, alicerçada na fenomenologia, que consiste na leitura e releitura dos depoimentos, discriminção das unidades de significado, elaboração de categorias e identificação das convergências e divergências encontradas em seus discursos. Para o entendimento de suas declarações, nos apoiamos nas perspectivas psicológica, biológica, sociocultural, histórica e da sexologia. Ao analisarmos os depoimentos, destacaram-se as seguintes categorias de significado: 1) Lembranças do tempo de namoro; 2) A arte do convívio a dois; 3) Desvendando a intimidade sexual; 4) A busca por uma ajuda especializada; 5) O estigma da infertilidade; 6) O filho como projeto de vida; 7) A menstruação como marcador de (in)sucesso do tratamento. Como resultado, percebemos que os casais planejam uma família com filhos biológicos, ou seja, uma família nuclear: pai, mãe, filho, partindo do pressuposto que eles têm o controle da função reprodutora. Entretanto, ao deparar-se com a dificuldade de engravidar, buscam um culpado pela infertilidade. Tornam o sexo mecânico, voltado só para a procriação, sentem-se estigmatizados por sua importência e veem a menstruação como sinônimo de fracasso do tratamento. A perda do controle da função procriadora os leva a buscar por novas tecnologias de RHA. E diante do insucesso do tratamento, muitos casais partem para a adoção, construindo uma família adotiva. / The research reported here was conducted with 08 infertile couples undergoing treatment at the Reproductive Medicine and Imaginology Unit of a teaching hospital in the countryside of Sao Paulo state. In order to understand the intriguing phenomenon of infertility, we assessed the experience of these couples by one question: I would like you to tell me your experience during sexual-affective relationship when you were dating, after getting married, when you decided to get pregnant, when you realized you had difficulty to get pregnant and during the course of clinical research and treatment of infertility. For analysis of their reports, we used a qualitative methodology based on phenomenology, which consists of reading and rereading of testimonies, discrimination of the units of meaning, development of categories and identification of similarities and differences found in their speeches. In order to understand their statements, we rely on the psychological, biological, sociocultural and historical perspectives as well as sexology. In reviewing the testimonies, the highlights are the following categories of meaning: 1) Memories of time of dating, 2) The art of living as a couple, 3) Revealing sexual intimacy; 4) The search for expert help, 5) The stigma of infertility, 6) The child as a life project; 7) The menstruation as a marker of (un) successful treatment. As a result, we realized that couples plan a family with biological children, that is, a nuclear family: father, mother, son, assuming that they have the control of reproductive function. However, when faced with the difficulty of getting pregnant, they seek something to blame for infertility. Sex becomes mechanic, aiming at procreation only; they feel stigmatized by their impotence and see menstruation as a synonym for treatment failure. The loss of control of the procreative function leads to the search for new AHR technologies. And faced with the failure of treatment, many couples decide to adopt a child, building an adoptive family.

Notre thèse porte sur le recours à l’avortement au Cameroun dans deux villes, Eséka et Maroua. Nous avons pour ambition de comprendre les sollicitations liées au recours à l’avortement en milieu urbain dans un contexte où existent des dispositions médicales et légales particulières. Une étude empirique a été réalisée dans les deux localités. De ce travail de terrain, nous avons observé qu’il existe pour les femmes au niveau médical, la possibilité d’une prise en charge des soins après un avortement, quelles que soient les conditions de sa réalisation. Au niveau légal, la décision d’avorter en dehors des conditions légales définies reste problématique pour les femmes et pour ceux qui recourent à l’avortement en dehors de ce cadre-là. Nous affirmons que les normes procréatives auxquelles les femmes sont confrontées au quotidien, surtout celles relatives à la grossesse en particulier, peuvent les amener à recourir à l’avortement, bien que cela soit fortement et légalement réglementé. L’approche du sujet associe à la fois la théorie sociologique de l'expérience, la démarche ethnographique du contexte (global et local) et l'étude des cas liés au recours à l'avortement. Partant de cette perspective, nous analysons le recours à l’avortement à partir des expériences et vécus individuels des femmes en matière de procréation et de la grossesse d’une part, ainsi qu’à partir des difficultés liées aux normes imposées par les institutions sociales comme la famille ou l’État d’autre part. Il s’agit surtout de montrer par cet exemple local, les difficultés de mise en œuvre des recommandations formulées à l’échelle internationale au niveau local dans le cas particulier de l’avortement. / Our thesis is about the abortion in Cameroon in two cities Eséka and Maroua. We aim to understand the stresses related to abortion in urban areas in a context where there are specific medical and legal provisions. An empirical study was conducted in two locations. This fieldwork, we observed that there is for women at the medical level, the possibility of support for post-abortion care, regardless of the conditions of its realization. From a legal standpoint, the decision to have an abortion outside the defined legal requirements remains problematic for women and for those who resort to abortion outside this framework. We affirm that procreative norms that women face daily, in particular those related to pregnancy, can encourage them to resort to abortion, although this is highly regulated. The theoretical framework combines both sociological theory of experience, the ethnographic approach of the context (global and local) and the cases studies related to abortion. From this perspective, we analyze the abortion from the experiences and individual stories of women related to procreation and pregnancy in one hand, as well as from difficulties related to norms imposed by social institutions like the family or the State in the other hand. This is mostly to show through this specific experience, implementation challenges that come with the translation of recommendations made at the international level to the local level in the particular case of abortion.