French Catholic Mobilization During Revision of French Bioethical Laws: 2018-2021 (02/10/22)
Join us at the Pardee School on Thursday, February 10, at 4 PM, for our a lecture on “French Catholic Mobilization During Revision of French Bioethical Laws: 2018-2021” by bu Séverine Mathieu. This event takes place as part of the Department of Anthropology’s Seminar Series and is co-sponsored by the Institute on Religion, Culture, and World Affairs (CURA) and the Center for the Study of Europe.
Séverine Mathieu is a sociologist, professor and Research Director at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris (France), and a member of Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités CNRS-UMR 8582. Her main research topics are assisted reproductive technology (ART), ethics, religion and filiation; family, parenthood, kinship and transmission; and representation of the embryo among persons in the ART.
Abstract; In France, assisted reproductive technology (ART) is regulated by a ‘law relative to bioethics’ voted by the French Parliament in 1994. This law undergoes regular parliamentary revision (in 2004 and 2011) and was under review from 2019 before being voted in July 2021. The most controversial issue was access to ART by lesbian couples and single women. The Catholic Church has taken an active part in these debates, despite the fact that France is a secular state, and religion is barred from interference in government policy. Nonetheless, the Church justifies its participation by presenting itself as a guardian of moral values and as an authority on issues related to the family. The Church’s discourse combines religious and secular arguments that foster what I call an ‘anxious rhetoric’, sometimes shared by other segments of the population. Drawing on an ethnographic survey of public debates that preceded and accompanied the present revision of the bioethics law, this talk analyses Catholic arguments regarding the specific controversy of ART for lesbian couples and single women.
The University is committed to promoting a safe campus environment. In accordance with current University safety protocols, cloth face coverings or disposable masks must be worn indoors at all times when not eating or drinking. Any participant with symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 should not engage in group activities and seek medical advice.