Department of English, Theatre and Creative Writing, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
Med Humanit. 2022 Dec;48(4):e18. doi: 10.1136/medhum-2021-012328. Epub 2022 Apr 25.
Is biology and knowing biological ancestral information essential to the construction of identity? Bioethicist James David Velleman believes this is the case and argues that donor gamete conception is immoral because a portion of genetic heritage will be unknown. Velleman is critical of sperm donation and the absence of a biological father in donor-assisted families. His bioethical work, specifically the 2005 article 'Family History', is oft-cited in articles debating the ethics surrounding gamete donations and diverse family formations. However, I wonder to what extent Velleman's ethical stance is exhibited in contemporary culture? Velleman suggests that innate knowledge of bio-superiority helps readers and audiences appreciate the importance of biological family structures in literature and film; he says, 'When people deny the importance of biological ties, I wonder how they can read world literature with any comprehension' (2005, 369). Velleman understands the stories of Oedipus, Moses, Telemachus and Luke Skywalker as demonstrating a universal cultural comprehension that genetics are essential to identity construction. I adopt Velleman's list of stories and ask if they really can support an antidonation sentiment and suggest that most of the stories actually support diverse family structures. By exploring the significance of story-telling in cultural understandings of family and identity, it is possible to identify the ways in which story-telling can impact how society negotiates complex issues such as assisted reproduction, donor conception and donor industry regulation.
生物学和了解生物祖先信息对于身份构建是否至关重要？生物伦理学家詹姆斯·大卫·维勒曼认为这是事实，并认为配子捐赠受孕是不道德的，因为一部分遗传遗产将是未知的。维勒曼批评了精子捐赠和捐赠辅助家庭中缺乏生物学上的父亲。他的生物伦理著作，特别是 2005 年的文章《家族史》，在关于配子捐赠和多样化家庭形成的伦理问题的文章中经常被引用。然而，我想知道维勒曼的伦理立场在当代文化中表现到了何种程度？维勒曼认为，对生物优越性的先天了解有助于读者和观众欣赏生物家庭结构在文学和电影中的重要性；他说：“当人们否认生物联系的重要性时，我想知道他们怎么能读懂世界文学”（2005 年，第 369 页）。维勒曼理解俄狄浦斯、摩西、忒勒马科斯和卢克·天行者的故事，认为这些故事展示了一种普遍的文化理解，即遗传学对身份构建至关重要。我采用了维勒曼列出的故事，并询问它们是否真的可以支持反捐赠情绪，并认为这些故事实际上大多支持多样化的家庭结构。通过探索讲故事在家庭和身份的文化理解中的重要性，可以确定讲故事如何影响社会如何协商辅助生殖、捐赠受孕和捐赠行业监管等复杂问题。
