Narratives of Hope—The Temporal Dimension in the Ontological Manipulation of the Human Embryo

Abstract

The in vitro human embryo is a liminal being towards which the beneficiaries of assisted reproductive technology (ART) can ascribe different moral statuses. Moreover, this ontological manipulation can be combined with a temporal dimension. Namely, a set of narratives of hope can be identified, in terms of how patients project the future considering the accomplishment of the parental project. In turn, these narratives of hope will have repercussions at the ontological level, i.e., on the meaning-making processes around the human embryos created during ART treatments. A Portuguese research project provides empirical data (from semi-directive interviews) to map these plural conceptualizations of human embryos.

Keywords

• human embryo
• moral status
• meaning-making processes
• ontological manipulation
• narratives of hope