Whose body.

Who decides who should have children? This programme (OU Course No. D318/04V) uses extracts from 4 other Open University productions, Eggs for Sale, Orphan Embryos, Virgin Births and Older Mothers, all of which examine contentious aspects of fertility treatment; it scrutinises the language they use and the attitudes this conveys towards the women seeking treatment. Dr. Kath Woodward (Open University) links the extracts and comments on the way they present their material. In Eggs for Sale Profs. Ian Craft and Robert Winston take opposing views on the sale of human eggs for cash. Orphan Embryos looks at the legal status and ethical questions concerning frozen embryos. Here, Dr. Woodward points out the difficulty in discerning whose body is being discussed. The Virgin Births extract, where the issue is whether women should be enabled to conceive without sexual involvement, is used by Dr. Woodward to draw attention to the questions which arise over the women's sexual identity. In Older Mothers, Prof. Ian Craft's guideline is that the normal menopause age should be the limit for fertility treatment. But as the menopause can occur at an abnormally early or late age, it should be left to the body to set the rule. This leaves it open to the state and medical and moral authorities to contend for the power to decide who should become a mother.