With the technical development of procreation, having children intertwines with more various ethical issues. Angela Chadwick’s debut novel, XX (2018), explores ways her protagonist, Jules, undergoes social and inner conflicts while participating in the clinical trial for ovum-to-ovum fertilization. During this process, Jules experiences emotional changes through social interaction that Sarah Ahmed would describe as cultural politics of emotions. Coupling with Ahmed’s theory, this article indicates Jules marginalizes herself because of her unusual feelings toward childbirth. Nevertheless, Jules sublimates her compunction, and her narrative of resistance signposts ethical contemplation, which posthuman society might consider. In XX, Chadwick portrays a typical society that exercises techno-biopower with a standard on which body to attribute to community and which body to exclude. Sequentially, this execution collides with personal rights involved in childbirth. Regarding procreation, feminist theorists agree that women’s rights are separated into two: the right to reproduce and the right not to reproduce. Chadwick effectively describes how both rights are gradually subject to moral evaluation through the influence of a diverse range of media. As the argument for assisted reproductive technology escalates into the dynamics of society and individuals, Jules capitalizes her writing skills as a survival tactic. Her writing is part of the struggle, what Donna Haraway names as cyborg politics, to counter the ostracism and reconstruct the social order. Furthermore, Chadwick provides the critical reinterpretation of women’s bodies and maternal instincts. Focusing on the ethical repercussions of the diversified choice for procreation, this article illuminates how to cope with social tension as a part of the posthuman society.
