Reproductive Trafficking as Organ Trafficking

This Lecture addressed the need for a feminist action that will promote an international regulation of reproduction technologies that relates to the global as well as the local scene.

In recent years, many countries have been engaged in legislation that relates to reproductive technologies. In Israel, an Ova Donation law was recently passed, and a law that regulates surrogacy has existed for over a decade. Israel, as well as other countries in Europe and America, have been engaged in creating a framework for the financial transactions relating to ova donation and surrogacy where the women involved are protected and medically taken care of. At the same time, local legislation has not worked to regulate the "outsourcing" of reproductive work, tissues or organs. Women around the world thus find themselves unprotected in a growing market that offers a variety of services for clients from the West that are often unavailable or else very expensive in their home lands. This market is not regulated, nor are the women who provide the actual service protected from exploitation or physical hazards.

This lecture introduced the action Isha L'isha wishes to promote in order to address this lacuna. Based on our experience in similar cases we offer to promote an international treaty that acknowledges reproductive trafficking as organ trafficking. The main principals in the offered document were presented and the social and feminist dilemmas concerning such a treaty were discussed.