REFRAMING REPRODUCTION: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

This paper explored the theoretical frameworks that underpin the study of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and it briefly examined how each approach interacts with ART. The objectives of this study included identifying and analyzing key theoretical frameworks used in ART research, investigating how these frameworks inform our understanding of ART, and providing recommendations for future research. Using doctrinal and hermeneutic methodologies, it examined existing approaches so as to propose valid frameworks for understudying and understanding ART. It found that among all the competing approaches, the natural law approach to jurisprudence is best fitted for ART’s research. From it, the bioethical approaches could be employed with best results. This paper therefore recommended that the natural law approach be recognized in law and ethics as the only approach proper for interrogating the evolving landscape of ART.