THE LANGUAGE OF REPRODUCTION - IS IT DOCTORED

Among the large body of feminist scholarship on infertility and reprod uctive technologies there is a subargument about the language of repro duction. Following a ''medicalization'' thesis, feminists argue that t he language of reproduction pathologizes the female reproductive syste m and simultaneously hides the pathology of the male reproductive syst em. This article describes 3 examples of such an argument and then off ers a critique. The overall point that contemporary societies display gender inequality is not disputed, but methodologically, the feminist argument about the language of reproduction is found wanting. Alternat ive lines of inquiry are mentioned, suggesting a need for greater meth odological rigor in studies of medical discourse.