„Jak zaczęła się Twoja historia”. Nowe technologie reprodukcyjne i nowe formy stygmatyzacJi
“How Did Your Story Begin”. New Reproductive Technologies and New Forms of Stigmatization

Summary/Abstract: The text starts with presentation of illustrations and the short film How did your story begin, which Małgorzata Kowalewska prepared in response to stigmatization and discrimination of people born thanks to in vitro fertilization (IVF). In this text I analyse both Małgorzata’s project and the ethnographic interviews with her as an „IVF child”. Basing on her work and statements I show the mechanism of stigmatization and possible consequences of the strong argumentation of IVF opponents. In their rhetoric, „IVF children” are presented as people who may have various physical, moral, and psychological problems. In my opinion in this way the opponents build the epistemological schemes – i.e. ready set of ideas, which some social actors internalize and treat as a proven knowledge – which can lead to stigmatization and discrimination of people born after IVF, and their parents. I show the public and political narratives and their influence on daily lives of many people. Thus, I scrutinize how the political appears in the private space. Moreover, the role of Catholic Church in the managing of Polish citizens’ morality is the important context of my reflection.

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