From Restrictive to Permissive Legislation: Egg Donation in Norway

In 2020, following years of political debate, the Norwegian parliament passed legislation that eased restrictions on assisted reproductive technologies, including egg donation. This article examines the implications of this legislative shift in a country that had previously been characterised by highly restrictive policies on assisted reproductive technologies. The transition from a restrictive to a more permissive regulatory framework offers a unique opportunity to explore both continuity and change in cultural norms surrounding reproduction, gender, family and kinship. To investigate these dynamics, we conducted interviews with 20 women of reproductive age who were potentially eligible to donate eggs. Our aim was to explore the cultural values shaping their reflections on egg donation. Whilst political and media discourse has largely emphasised the benefits for recipients of donated eggs, feminist scholarship has drawn attention to the experiences and motivations of donors. This study contributes to the field by focusing on women who have no direct experience with egg donation and no particular expertise or personal investment in the topic. By doing so, we shed light on how broader cultural values inform individual‐level negotiations and meaning‐making around reproductive technologies. Situated within the context of a Nordic welfare state—where ideals such as social equality, gender equality and universal access to welfare services are deeply embedded—we find that the women’s attitudes towards egg donation reflect core Norwegian cultural values. At the same time, these attitudes reveal underlying tensions between competing values, suggesting potential for normative change. The decision to donate eggs emerges as a complex and ambivalent one, particularly in relation to the biological and social implications of having a genetic connection to a child born through donation.