How Technology Collides with History
The most profound political struggles are for the ownership and control of the human body.
Reproduction is at a crossroads. For the first time in human history, the biological clock may no longer be a constraint, and two men could have a baby genetically related to both. Scientists are inching closer to a future where eggs and sperm can be created from any cell in our bodies, a breakthrough known as in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) 5 .
Will these new technologies liberate everyone equally, or will they simply repackage ancient forms of racial control?
The management of human reproduction has never been separate from the politics of race. From the brutal reproductive exploitation of enslaved women to the forced sterilizations of Indigenous women in the 1970s, control over who bears children, and under what circumstances, has long been a tool of social power 6 .
IVG could allow creation of eggs and sperm from any body cell, fundamentally changing reproduction.
Reproductive control has historically targeted marginalized communities, particularly women of color.
To understand the significance of today's advancements, we must first confront the historical backdrop against which they are set. For centuries, the reproductive capacity of women of color has been a battleground for state control and economic exploitation.
In 1662, the Virginia Assembly passed a law known as partus sequitur ventrem. This Latin phrase, meaning "that which is born follows the womb," established that the legal status of a child—enslaved or free—was determined solely by the status of the mother 4 .
This law overturned English common law, where a child's status typically followed the father, creating a self-replicating system of forced labor 4 .
Codified hereditary racial slavery
Incentivized sexual violence
Commodified Black women's bodies
| Aspect | Traditional English Common Law | Virginia Law of 1662 (Partus Sequitur Ventrem) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Status of a Child | Followed the status of the father | Followed the status of the mother |
| Impact on Mixed-Race Children | Could inherit a free father's status | Remained enslaved, regardless of the father's race or status |
| Primary Economic Effect | — | Created a perpetual, hereditary enslaved workforce and commodified enslaved women's wombs |
This history of reproductive control did not end with emancipation. It simply evolved. In the 1960s and 70s, the Indian Health Service, a federal program, carried out a campaign of forced and coerced sterilizations on thousands of Native American women.
Indian Health Service carries out forced sterilizations on Native American women.
Report reveals over 3,000 sterilizations performed in just a three-year period 6 .
Andrea Carmen of the International Indian Treaty Council condemns these practices as genocide 6 .
This pattern reflects what scholars call "reproductive governance"—the state's power to control reproduction, which has disproportionately targeted poor people, pregnant people of color, and Indigenous pregnant people throughout U.S. history 6 .
While societies were constructing racial hierarchies, science was slowly uncovering a more complex picture of reproduction itself. Recent research has challenged the long-held, simplistic view of conception as a mere race where the fastest sperm wins.
A groundbreaking study from Stockholm University revealed a fascinating twist: the human egg is not a passive prize. It actively chooses its partner 8 .
The egg releases chemical signals called chemoattractants, which guide specific sperm toward it while repelling others 8 .
This means conception is not just about which sperm is the fastest, but about a complex biochemical dialogue between the egg and the sperm. You weren't just the fastest; you were the selected one 8 .
The egg emits chemoattractants to guide sperm.
Sperm follow chemical signals toward the egg.
Conception becomes an active selection process.
Today, we are entering an era where biological dialogues and historical injustices are colliding with revolutionary technologies. The field of assisted reproduction is poised for a transformation that could dismantle biological constraints but also amplify social inequalities.
The next great leap is in vitro gametogenesis (IVG). Researchers are close to being able to mass-produce human eggs and sperm in the lab from ordinary cells, like a skin or blood cell 5 .
Japanese scientists have successfully used IVG in mice, resulting in healthy mouse pups 5 .
Mitinori Saitou of Kyoto University reported that his team is "in the process of translating these technologies into humans" 5 .
| Potential Benefit | Description | Associated Ethical/Social Concern |
|---|---|---|
| Curing Infertility | Could allow infertile women and men to have children with their own DNA 5 . | Could create new pressures for "genetic" parenthood and devalue other ways of forming families 5 . |
| Overturning the Biological Clock | Could enable women of any age to have genetically related children 5 . | Raises questions about the social and health implications of older parenthood 5 . |
| Expanding Family Building for LGBTQ+ | Could allow gay and transgender couples to have children genetically related to both partners 5 . | Might undermine social acceptance of non-genetic families formed through adoption or donors 5 . |
| Solo Reproduction | Could enable a single person to have a child with only their own genes, a "unibaby" 5 . | Introduces profound questions about identity and the ethical limits of reproduction. |
For communities of color, these technological promises are viewed through the lens of a long and painful history. In response to a legacy of control and coercion, a powerful movement has emerged: Reproductive Justice.
As defined by a coalition of over 50 Black-led organizations, Reproductive Justice is "the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities" 3 .
This framework is crucial for analyzing new technologies. The 2025 Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda offers over 125 policy recommendations to address disparities in health care, economic security, and freedom from violence 3 .
It serves as a roadmap to ensure that the future of reproduction is not just technologically advanced, but also equitable.
The same technology that could cure infertility could also be used for more troubling purposes. IVG, combined with gene-editing tools like CRISPR, could make "designer babies" more feasible 5 .
Bioethicists warn that IVG could create a limitless supply of embryos for genetic screening and manipulation, potentially leading to a "hunt for an assumed perfect race, perfect baby, perfect future generation" 5 .
As Dr. Amrita Pande stated, "IVG when used with gene-editing tools like CRISPR should make us all worried" about the eradication of unwanted traits and the reinforcement of old prejudices 5 .
| Research Reagent / Tool | Primary Function in Research |
|---|---|
| Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) Cells | The foundational "blank slate" cell, reprogrammed from adult cells (e.g., skin, blood), which can be directed to become egg or sperm cells 5 . |
| Chemoattractants | The chemical signals released by the egg to guide and selectively attract sperm, crucial for understanding the biochemical dialogue of conception 8 . |
| CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing | A precise molecular "scissor" that allows scientists to cut and edit DNA sequences. When combined with IVG, it raises the possibility of genetically modifying embryos 5 . |
| Culture Media & Growth Factors | The specially formulated "soup" of nutrients and proteins used to coax iPS cells into maturing into functional egg or sperm cells in the lab 5 . |
The path of the "new reproduction" is fraught with both breathtaking potential and profound peril. Technologies like IVG promise to shatter biological barriers, offering new paths to parenthood for millions.
Yet, without a conscious commitment to justice and equity, they risk reproducing the same old hierarchies in a glittering, new guise.
Recognize that reproductive control has historically targeted marginalized communities.
Ensure those historically excluded from reproductive policies help shape the future.
Support policies like the Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights Act of 2025 7 .
Ultimately, navigating the future of reproduction will require us to understand its past, recognizing that the question of who controls the womb has always been, and remains, a fundamental question of power, race, and freedom.