The event, Families in Flux – Reproductive Ethics in the Middle East, was an extremely interesting talk between two well-informed individuals. A topic that I found especially thought-provoking was the idea of adultery and reproductive donation, like giving sperm or eggs to someone. In the Sunni Sect of Islam, they believe that it is equivalent to cheating and is seen as haram. Haram has always been a word that I have been familiar with or heard in passing and not think anything of it, but never actually knew the definition – which I am thankful for this event because it made me look it up. This perspective was one I never considered, but now, although I do not agree with it, I can see their argument perfectly. It was explained as if a stranger had entered the relationship, and that the child is not actually a product of the two in the marriage, but from one in the marriage and an outside source. This idea is especially important because of the emphasis on lineage, and this muddies the water when someone else’s genes are introduced in the relationship, which is something I see perfectly. I believe that another sect, Shia, has an interesting “loophole” around the issue of infertility.
Shias will temporarily marry and have children and then get remarried to their former partner, while keeping the child. This circumvents the issue of adultery, but it still leaves me with mixed feelings. How would an Islam society react to a person who has been married and has had children, but their child(ren) now live(s) with another couple. Is it encouraged for people to do this, or is seen as a last resort? My last question that I had during the event was about adoption in Islam. I am really interested on how that process is carried out and how the lineage is explained to that child and how the parents view the child. All in all, I really enjoyed the talk and I felt more informed about topics I would never seek out on my own.