Delivering Policy
The Contested Politics of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Canada
Delivering Policy explores how the tension between science and politics shaped the long and fraught path to Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act.
Description
Are assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) a medical issue or a matter of public policy, subject to restrictions? Francesca Scala employs the concept of boundary work to explain the protracted debates that ensued when Canada appointed a royal commission in 1989 to settle the issue. She reveals that both sides of the debate attempted to secure their position as authorities by challenging, defending, or blurring the boundaries between science and politics. This compelling account contributes to our understanding of the interaction between science and politics, the exercise of social control over science and technology, and the politics of expertise in policy making.
Awards
- Short-listed, Donald Smiley Prize, Canadian Political Science Association 2020
Reviews
In Delivering Policy, Francesca Scala provides a comprehensive, fascinating and well-written study of the evolution of assisted reproductive technology policies in Canada. Through the concept of boundary work, Scala demonstrates how different actors – scientists, policy-makers, activists - have attempted to challenge, blur or reinforce the boundary between science and politics since the appointment of the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies in 1989. Weaving a detailed analysis of policy documents with engaging testimonies from participants in those debates, the book ultimately presents a nuanced and persuasive account of the impact of discursive strategies and the broader political and institutional contexts.
- Prize Jury, 2020 Donald Smiley Prize