Mission Statement
I plan to investigate the importance of narrative to understanding the societal implications of infertility as a modern woman and its value to a more holistic understanding of the condition of infertility. The goal of these posts is to make the topic relevant for a larger audience of people who do not have access to medical journals. It will also help in filling in the gaps that the word “infertility” leaves in the lives of women who are infertile and the lives of their families. I hope that with these blogs I am able to reach a wide variety of people who are interested in learning about infertility as well as those who are suffering from it themselves. The experience of Eman doesn’t reflect the experience of all women, but I hope that these entries and ideological tangents that were a result of her journey can make a difference in the world of gynecology and how the public views infertility, while also bringing up important discussions that shed light on an uncomfortable and painful topic. <p> </p>
I chose to write this narrative because I find that the condition of infertility is at a turning point in medicalization in our society. Often, the worth of women is based upon their value as a sexual object and in reproduction; I am interested in deconstructing this and reconstructing it in a very raw and honest way on this blog. <p> </p>
Through this process I am constructing "entries". Each entry represents a topic that Eman asked me to promise to include in my examination of modern infertility in her life. They are derived from her ideas and are intended to spark discussion. The breakdown of each blog is first, a central idea or blog entry that may look a lot like a diary entry. These are based on our interview as well as written materials that she shared with me during the interview. Secondly, there are relevant quotes and sections form our 4 hour interview that I found to tie beautifully into the main entries. These quotes were a vital part of what I used to construct her narrative. Any time you see the word “I”, it refers to Eman, and not me as the author.