Abstract

In this paper, we explore questions of moral parenthood by setting up a critical encounter between accounts developed by bioethicists and the perspectives of prospective PACT (Pre-conception Agreement-Based Co-parenting Together-apart) parents. This particular approach attends to the ways in which reproductive decision-making often invokes meaningful moral work on the part of laypersons, and underscores both the affinity and situated differences between such “homegrown” moral work and that of academic professionals. We begin by outlining key positions in bioethical debates on moral parenthood. Subsequently, we present findings from a qualitative study, offering an interpretative account of prospective PACT parents’ moral views and reasoning. Our analysis identifies two parental dimensions participants found particularly important: intention, which grounds a form of parenthood tied primarily to basic responsibilities (parent-by-intent), and proximity, which brings together meanings of physical, emotional, and epistemic closeness and was perceived as making one “more of a parent” (i.e. parent-by-proximity). In the discussion, we demonstrate how an encounter between these perspectives can unsettle assumptions underlying both and expand the horizons within which we deliberate about parenthood. Participants’ accounts highlight how parenthood may be understood as (at least in part) constructed and variable across different contexts, rather than an all-or-nothing status. At the same time, our findings show that their views and reasoning were frequently influenced by exclusionary norms. This challenges the ideal of inclusivity that many bioethical accounts and participants claim to endorse, and calls for further critical examination -- which is precisely what bioethicists can bring to the conversation.