Authors: Isabel Côté & Kévin Lavoie
Published online: June 2018
This article presents procreation agreement negotiations and the role played by men taking part as known donors in the parental project of lesbian mothers in the province of Quebec, Canada. Thirty-six individuals were interviewed: 10 female couples, 11 donors, and 5 of the donors’ life partners. The results show that the donors’ contribution takes place within a deliberative process during which the adults involved discuss 5 elements, namely (a) the procreation method selected, (b) the issue of future donations, (c) the forms of address and the role of the donor in the life of the children issuing from his donations, (d) the possible involvement of the donor’s loved ones in the life of the lesbian-parent family, and (e) responses to various scenarios that might arise in the future. The negotiation also addresses concerns that those involved might have regarding the children’s needs, resulting in a complex web of interpersonal relationships. Our findings show that dialogue is the key unifying factor, ensuring that everyone is in agreement and that the donor’s role with respect to the child is in line with the expectations of everyone involved.
The first data collection was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and received a certificate of ethics approval from the research committee of the Université de Montréal (Montreal, Canada). The second collection, funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec sur la Société et la Culture, was approved by the research ethics committee of the Université du Québec en Outaouais (Gatineau, Canada).
