Excluding indigenous bioethical concerns when regulating frozen embryo storage: An Aotearoa New Zealand case study

Abstract

This article undertakes a close reading of the parliamentary debates associated with the topic of embryo cryopreservation in Aotearoa New Zealand. From our critical readings, we argue that there is a lack of transparency over the ethical reasons for enforcing a maximum storage limit. We demonstrate that arguments for the retention of this limit are associated (in New Zealand) with arguments based upon ‘build-up avoidance’ and ‘conflict avoidance’ as social goods based on Pākehā [New Zealander of European descent] cultural world views rather than identifiable universal ethical principles. We illustrate that the avoidance of embryo accumulation and related conflict was only achieved by the denial of indigenous spiritual and cultural concerns, while also shifting the ethical burdens of disposition on to clinic staff and those members of the public who protested against enforced cryopreserved embryo disposal. The Pākehā cultural concept of ‘tidy housekeeping’ emerges as a presumed ethical and social good in the New Zealand situation. This is despite abundant literature documenting the suffering created through forced decision-making upon disposition.

Colonial Geographies, Black Geographies, and Bioethics

“…This is not to discredit important allies in attempts at inclusivity but, instead, to remind us of the geographic terrain. Ethics journal articles and textbooks are written most often from a eurochristian worldview, with specific requirements for philosophical argumentation and “neutrality.” Eurochristians, bioethicists included, tend toward “tidy housekeeping” stemming from “anxiety over ‘matter out of place.’” 6 For the mainstream, this translates into comfort, uniformity, and attachment to abstract concepts such as autonomy and justice and to enforceable policies such as those concerning brain death and visiting hours. The unique experiences and geographies of people of color are tidied up, discounted, or ignored.…”

“…Eurochristians, bioethicists included, tend toward "tidy housekeeping" stemming from "anxiety over 'matter out of place.'" 6 For the mainstream, this translates into comfort, uniformity, and attachment to abstract concepts such as autonomy and justice and to enforceable policies such as those concerning brain death and visiting hours. The unique experiences and geographies of people of color are tidied up, discounted, or ignored.…”

The Role of Emotion in Understanding Whiteness

“…He suggests that "mainstream" ethical and moral models for understanding new technologies are often driven more by the assumption of economic reward than the betterment of human health. Māori have sought to apply this intellectual tradition to other bioethical issues of relevance, including the "warrior gene" controversy (Hook 2009), biobanking (Hudson et al 2016), embryo cryopreservation (Fitzgerald et al 2019), and the End of Life Choice Bill (Hipango 2019).…”

Kin-making in the Reproductive Penumbram: Surrogacy in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…They suggest that it is an essential expansion of legislation to reflect better Māori tikanga and structures of relatedness, particularly the centrality of whakapapa. However, a recent paper by Fitzgerald, Legge, Rewi and Robinson (2019) suggests that Māori bioethical concerns have been excluded within parliamentary debates when regulating frozen embryo storage. They describe the 'predominantly Pākehā [New Zealander of European Descent] parliamentarians' extraordinary neglect and oversight when considering the views of Māori parliamentarians on the cultural significance of these forced maximum storage times for the wider minority Māori population' (Fitzgerald, Legge, Rewi, and Robinson 2019, 11).…”