Religion, Conceptions of Nature, and Assisted Reproductive Technology Policy

In Chapter 1 of this volume, Traina and her colleagues examine conceptions of the natural regarding assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in religious traditions across the world. They focus on the strategies by which average religious people cognitively transform the “un-natural” technology to the “natural,” as long as the technology is in service of larger religious ends, typically having to do with families. The strategies are many, as are the starting points for each tradition’s considerations of what is “natural.” Since the actual beliefs of the religions about nature and ARTs are so divergent, and since the religions discussed are primarily not in the U.S., I will not focus on the details of beliefs about nature and ARTs since they are unlikely to be introduced in the policy process. Rather, I will discuss the challenges that will be faced by those who want to introduce religious conceptions of nature into policy-making processes concerning ARTs. To do so I will incorporate a broader point that the authors of the earlier chapter make about religions in general: that actual lived religion is more important for policy in liberal democratic societies than official religion.

I begin with a discussion of contemporary U.S. policy regarding ART. I then discuss the types of moral discourse that can be accepted in different policy-making venues and the challenges this will create for those who want to incorporate religious conceptions of nature into policy regarding ARTs. I then turn to an additional challenge that specifically religiously-based conceptions of nature will face to be included in policy deliberations: the problem of translating theological language to secular language. To provide at least some broader context beyond the U.S., next I apply my theoretical typology of policy application to Europe and discuss the extent to which similar challenges exist there in integrating religious conceptions of nature into ART policy.