Between "Medical" and "Social" Egg Freezing: A Comparative Analysis of Regulatory Frameworks in Austria, Germany, Israel, and the Netherlands

Egg freezing has led to heated debates in healthcare policy and bioethics. A crucial issue in this context concerns the distinction between “medical” and “social” egg freezing (MEF and SEF)—contrasting objections to bio-medicalization with claims for oversimplification. Yet such categorization remains a criterion for regulation. This paper aims to explore the “regulatory boundary-work” around the “medical”–”social” distinction in different egg freezing regulations. Based on systematic documents’ analysis we present a cross-national comparison of the way the “medical”–”social” differentiation f... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Rimon-Zarfaty Nitzan
Kostenzer Johanna
Sismuth Lisa‑Katharina
de Bont Antoinette
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
Verlag/Hrsg.: Zenodo
Schlagwörter: Social egg freezing / Medical egg freezing / Regulatory boundary work / Regulation analysis / Cross-national comparison / Austria / Germany / Israel / The Netherlands
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29218674
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-021-10133-z

Egg freezing has led to heated debates in healthcare policy and bioethics. A crucial issue in this context concerns the distinction between “medical” and “social” egg freezing (MEF and SEF)—contrasting objections to bio-medicalization with claims for oversimplification. Yet such categorization remains a criterion for regulation. This paper aims to explore the “regulatory boundary-work” around the “medical”–”social” distinction in different egg freezing regulations. Based on systematic documents’ analysis we present a cross-national comparison of the way the “medical”–”social” differentiation finds expression in regulatory frameworks in Austria, Germany, Israel, and the Netherlands. Findings are organized along two emerging themes: (1) the definition of MEF and its distinctiveness—highlighting regulatory differences in the clarity of the definition and in the medical indications used for creating it (less clear in Austria and Germany, detailed in Israel and the Netherlands); and (2) hierarchy of medical over social motivations reflected in usage and funding regulations. Blurred demarcation lines between “medical” and “social” are further discussed as representing a paradoxical inclusion of SEF while offering new insights into the complexity and normativity of this distinction. Finally, we draw conclusions for policymaking and the bioethical debate, also concerning the related cryopolitical aspects. ; The project also received funding from the Minerva Stiftung Post-Doctoral Fellowship of the Max Planck Society; Open Access funding enabled and organized by projekt DEAL.