ReConceiving Masculinity: Imagining Men’s Reproductive Bodies in Law

It is not just women’s bodies which can pose risks to the foetus but also those of men, with the quality of sperm playing an important role in foetal health. This article assesses why male antenatal behaviour has received such scant attention. It focuses on the regulation of liability for congenital disability and foetal protection legislation and policies, in order to uncover the received understandings of male and female reproductivity which have informed the law in this area. It argues that these understandings are predicated upon a particular vision of men’s and women’s bodies and of a gendered division of labour following the birth of a child.