Parenthood and the concept of the biological tie

Maung, Hane (2021) Parenthood and the concept of the biological tie. Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies, 7 (2). pp. 7-19.

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Abstract

It is widely assumed that there is value in the biological tie between parent and child. An implication of this is that adoption is often considered a less desirable alternative to procreation. This paper offers a philosophical defence of adoptive parenthood as a valuable and authentic form of parenthood. While previous defences have suggested that society’s valorisation of the biological tie is unjustified, I argue herein that the conception of the biological tie that features in the normative discourse on parenthood is too narrowly genocentric. Against this genocentric conception, recent work in the philosophy of biology has emphasised the roles of joint determination, dynamic construction, and extended inheritance in development, which I suggest can substantiate a more inclusive conception of the biological tie. Accordingly, I propose that adoptive parents form a rich variety of biological ties with their children, some of which are as heritable and formative as genetic relatedness.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies
ID Code:
171045
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
01 Jun 2022 13:05
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
21 Sep 2023 03:16