The infertility clinic and the birth of the lesbian : the political debate on assisted reproduction in Denmark

M. Bryld

As a feminist updating of Foucauldian analysis, the article makes the point that _the lesbian_ was not significantly exposed or seriously interpellated by Danish official discourse until the political debate on new reproductive technologies and reprogenetics accelerated at the end of the 20th century. In the 1990s, the debate thus constructed _the lesbian_ not only as an _unnatural mother_, but also as heiress to the monstrous figure of the _mad scientist_ whose tampering with the embryo had stirred the political mind in the previous decade. Deeply worried by developments in biotechnology, many politicians felt they should protect the embryo from this sinister scientist, and, subsequently, the innocent child from the monstrous lesbian. Hence, a majority of MPs voted for excluding lesbians and single women from access to assisted reproduction in medical clinics.