Exploring the Impact of the Roman Catholic Church and Other Conservative Churches on the Shape of Biotechnology Legislation and Family Issues in Norway

This thesis claims that the unusual situation in Norway of combined restrictive and liberal approaches to biotechnology, marriage and family matters is a result of different political behaviour in relation to democratic procedures. The situation in Norway is unusual inasmuch as Norwegian legislation relating to reproductive and related biotechnologies is stricter than in the other Nordic countries and in the UK. Analysis shows that part of the explanation for this is found in the conservative impact of Christian thinking on social traditions and family structure. This is not least because, more recently, this impact has been strengthened by the increasing influence of the leadership in the Roman Catholic Church in Norway, which remains a mouthpiece of magisterial teachings on biomedicine, marriage and family issues, together with conservative voices from the Evangelical and Protestant Free Churches and the Christian Democratic Party, KrF.