Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to examine how the meaning of genetic inheritance is negotiated by women or couples facing age-related infertility and/or turning to egg donation to have their own child in the Swiss context.

Paper long abstract:

This paper aims to examine how the meaning of genetic inheritance is negotiated by women or couples facing age-related infertility and/or turning to egg donation to have their own child in the Swiss context. Egg donation entails a disruption in genetic connection between mother and child exposing parents to the threat of "resemblance talk" casting doubt on the legitimacy of their family (Becker 2005). The desire for resemblance and the making of phenotypal resemblances (Bergman 2010; Fortier 2009) are used to establish a sense of genealogical continuity (Bestard & Orobitg 2009; Fortier 2009; Marre & Bestard 2009). Allowing to keep egg donation procedure hidden, they can serve also the conventional model of biogenetic kinship (Bergman 2010; Konrad 2005). Drawing on ethnographic observations and 35 in-depth interviews with women or couples undergoing medically assisted conception, I state that the meaning of genetic inheritance is especially negotiated during two decision-making processes: firstly on having a child with donated eggs; secondly on the way to disclose the procedure. I will question how people in these situations deal with genetic disruption, genealogical continuity and transmission. A special focus will be brought to the ambivalent links between disclosure and desire for resemblance, allowing me to highlight the temporal dimension of the negotiation of genetic inheritance.