Reconceptualising relational autonomy: an empirical ethical and intersectional approach of social egg freezing

A large body of bioethical and feminist work analyses autonomy in the context of assisted reproductive technology. However the empirical tenability of some accounts is questionable. The bioethical debate around social egg freezing opens up conceptual space for fresh, empirically based ethical thinking. We noticed that different conceptions of autonomy are used by several authors but leading to very divergent standpoints. Furthermore the voices of minority women are still underrepresented in the current research about this topic. Therefore considerable gaps between the “is” and “ought” remain underinvestigated. Combining the more abstract feminist critique of autonomy with the empirically informed theory of intersectionality allows us to explore new directions for autonomy that take into account the ambivalence of lived experiences. Hence, this proposal aims (1) to assess the normative commitments of relational autonomy theories and the conceptual framework of intersectionality. (2) It also wants to gain a better insight into the
moral perceptions and decision-making of minority women with regard to this "new" reproductive technology. (3) In a final phase these different paths of inquiry come together by integrating moral theory and empirical data in order to reach a normative conclusion with respect to this specific social practice and to further develop ethical theory concerning autonomy.