The rhetoric of belief and identity making in the experience of infertility

Abstract

Based on the research about infertility experiences of women and demand for in vitro fertilisation treatment in Turkey, this paper discusses how the rhetorical strategies employed by childless women bring meaning to their infertility experience as well as help them attain adult gender identity. It also briefly touches on men's experiences of infertility. The author argues that the prevalent references to the almightiness of God do not indicate religious beliefs alone. Through the instrumental use of religious discourse, these references can be considered the rhetoric of religious belief.