Exploitation and control of women's reproductive bodies

In biomedicine, the accessibility of women’s bodies for biomedical intervention raises important social, ethical and philosophical questions about exploitation and control. This chapter discusses exploitation and control in the context of two different areas of biomedicine: egg research in therapeutic cloning and transgenerational epigenetics. These areas have a common interest in reproductive capacity with the aim of developing therapeutical or environmental interventions to improve human health down the generations. Although these interventions may be well intentioned, they exert power over women’s bodies. This creates more responsibilities for women than opportunities, opening doors to exploitation and control, especially of women who are of reproductive age.