Writer Sophie Lewis presents a lecture drawing on her new theories of surrogacy, gestational justice and family abolition, followed by a discussion with poet Anne Boyer.

With the active cells of pregnancy proven to ‘rampage’ through every tissue they touch, scientific studies have identified the genes active in embryonic development to also be implicated in cancer. As Sophie Lewis identifies in Full Surrogacy Now (Verso, 2019), Kathy Acker’s violent fictional representations of the unconsciously destructive nature of gestating do not cite such studies but do unconsciously channel their findings. Staying with the violence of gestation work – such as that unmasked by Acker – Lewis argues for a utopian approach to the problem of pregnancy, calling for ‘full surrogacy ... real surrogacy.’

Full Surrogacy Now brings a unique perspective to debates around assisted reproduction, stemming from Lewis’ contention that all reproduction is assisted. Arguing for solidarity between paid and unpaid gestators, Lewis suggests that the struggles of workers in the surrogacy industry may help illuminate the path towards alternative family arrangements based on transgenerational caring relationships (or, ‘family abolition’, as it has been referred to by some utopian socialists and queer feminists). Interviewing paid surrogates alongside other gestational workers, Lewis breaks down our assumptions that children necessarily belong to those whose genetics they share, calling for the radical transformation of kinship and the institution of the family.