Guide to the Papers of Lorraine Hepburn

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MS 9819

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Lorraine Hepburn
Title
Papers of Lorraine Hepburn
Date Range
1983-1994
Collection Number
MS 9819
Extent
1.65 metres (11 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises a copy of Hepburn's thesis, 'Ova-dose: Australian women and the new reproductive technology' (1988) and notations leading to the published book of the same name by Allen and Unwin in 1992. It contains Hepburn's comprehensive collection of research for the topic in the form of newspaper cuttings, scientific, medical and popular periodical articles, book chapters, government papers and print-outs from Hansard.

Subjects include in vitro fertilisation, reproduction techniques, reproductive technology and the church, genetic defects, the early human embryo, frozen embryo technology, fertility and the social control of women, infertility, foetalists vs. feminists, biotechnology, bioethics, and women, surrogacy, technology and work.

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1690609).

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Lorraine Hepburn, National Library of Australia, MS 9819, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the Library by Justine Merrony, daughter of Lorraine Hepburn, in 1997.

Arrangement

Lorraine Hepburn's untimely death occurred during the period the National Library was negotiating with her the transfer of her papers. The collection was donated to the Library in 1997 by her daughter, Justine Merrony. Material presented in Files has been retained in that order. The rest of the collection has been organised into sections reflecting the progress of material from thesis to book, followed by administrative and other correspondence, then by research material from newspapers, periodicals, books and government sources.

Biographical Note

Lorraine Hepburn was born in October 1938. She lived in Hobart until 1965, when she moved to Canberra, then in 1977 moved to Sydney to study art. Hepburn studied at Sydney College of the Arts between 1978-1980, obtaining a degree in Visual Arts. She gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Art Studies at the City Art Institute in 1981.

Hepburn worked as an artist during the 1970s and 1980s, with her work shown in many one-person and group exhibitions around Australia. She was awarded Australia Council Grants in 1974 and 1982, an Australia-Japan Foundation Travel Grant to Japan in 1978, and in 1980 was one of 40 participants selected to attend the International Symposium and Workshop 'Metals plus textiles equals?' in Zurich, Switzerland.

In 1986 she enrolled at the University of New South Wales, where she gained Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees. Hepburn overhauled her 1988 thesis 'Ova-dose? Australian women and the new reproductive technology' for publication under the same name by Allen and Unwin in 1992. Artwork on the back cover and frontispiece to Hepburn's book, Ova-dose?, entitled 'Who', is from the author's exhibition 'The in vitro fairy story: a post-conceptual artwork', 1990.

Hepburn died in a car accident in Tasmania in August, 1995.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. Ova-dose: Australian women and the new reproductive technology

This series documents progress of Hepburn's research from early university coursework at the University of New South Wales to her thesis entitled 'An Ova-dose: Australian women and the new reproductive technology' (1988) and culminating in 1992 with the publication of her book, Ova-dose: Australian women and the new reproductive technology.

The series includes drafts, corrections, artwork, and an annotated copy of her published book, along with pre and post-publishing correspondence with Allen and Unwin.

Resumé, university coursework, 1984-1994 (File 1) - Box 1

Thesis papers (File 2) - Box 1

Thesis: 'An Ova-dose? : Australian women and the new reproductive technology' submitted to the University of New South Wales in February, 1988 (File 3) - Box 1

Converting thesis to book (1st draft) (File 4-5) - Box 1

'Ova-dose', drafts 2 – 4, 1990-1991 (File 6-8) - Box 2

Corrections, typesetting, artwork (File 9-10) - Box 2

Final manuscript, 1991 (File 11) - Box 3

Ova-dose : Australian women and the new reproductive technology. (Annotated copy) (File 12) - Box 3

Pre and post publishing correspondence and papers, 1985-1992 (File 13-15) - Box 3

Series 2. Research materials

The series contains material used by Hepburn during her research. Included are papers presented at conferences, conventions and seminars (1981-1986), books and chapters and articles photocopied from books, articles from medical and scientific journals and other periodicals, and newspaper cuttings, 1983-1994

There are publications from the National Bioethics Consultative Committee, the Fertility Society of Australia National Perinatal Statistics Unit, and the National Feminist Network on reproductive technology. The series also includes an ABC spoken word cassette, State and Federal Government department publications, other political material, and Hansard reports. Most of the research material has been marked or annotated by Hepburn.

Subjects include in vitro fertilisation, reproduction techniques, reproductive technology and the churches, genetic defects, the early human embryo, frozen embryo babies, fertility control and the social control of women, infertility, foetalists vs feminists, biotechnology, bioethics and women, surrogacy, technology and work.

Subseries 2-1. Conferences, seminars, periodicals and newspaper cuttings

Papers from conferences, seminars etc, 1982-1985 (File 1-5) - Box 3-4
Articles and chapters photocopied from books, 1951-1989 (File 6) - Box 4
Articles from medical and scientific journals, 1971-1990 (File 7-8) - Box 4
Articles from other periodicals, 1978-1990 (File 9) - Box 4
National Health and Medical Research Council reports, 1981-1988 (File 10) - Box 4
National Bioethics Consultative Committee publications, 1988-1990 (File 11-14) - Box 5
National Feminist Network on Reproductive Technology, 1984-1986 (File 15) - Box 5
FINNRAGE publications (Feminist International Network of Resistance to Reproductive and Genetic Engineering replaced the National Feminist Network on Reproductive technology in May 1988) (File 16) - Box 5
Perinatal newsletter, 1988-1994 (File 17-18) - Box 5
IVF and gift pregnancies, 1979-1991. Fertility Society of Australia, National Perinatal Statistics Unit (File 19) - Box 6
Institute of Family Studies publications, 1983-1987 (File 20) - Box 6
University of New South Wales law journal, 1983 (File 21) - Box 6
Various periodicals, 1983-1988 (File 22) - Box 6
New South Wales Law Reform Commission. Publications on artificial conception (File 23-24) - Box 6
Newspaper cuttings, 1983-1994 (File 25-31) - Box 7

Subseries 2-2. Published books

The baby chase. Sydney, 1988 (File 32) - Box 8
Renate Klein, The exploitation of desire: women's experiences with in vitro fertilisation. Geelong, 1989 (File 32) - Box 8
Hester Eisenstein, Contemporary feminist thought. London, 1984 (File 32) - Box 8
Peter Singer and Deane Wells, The reproduction revolution: new ways of making babies. Melbourne, 1984 (File 32) - Box 8
Max Charlesworth, Life, death, genes and ethics : biotechnology and bioethics. Crows Nest, 1989 (File 32) - Box 8
The fridge dwellers: the moral and legal dilemmas of IVF, presented by Kel Richards. ABC Spoken word cassette (File 33) - Box 8

Subseries 2-3. Federal and State Government reports and publications, 1983-1990

Australia's population trends and prospects, Canberra, Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, 1986 (File 34) - Box 8
Women's Budget program: an assessment of the impact on women of the 1986-87 budget. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 1986 (File 34) - Box 8
National Women's Health policy: advancing women's health in Australia. Commonwealth Department of Community Services and Health, 1989 (File 34) - Box 8
National agenda for women. Mid-term implementation report on the 1988-1992 five-year action plans. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 1990 (File 34) - Box 8
Creating children. Family Law Council, 1985 (File 34) - Box 8
Ethics in Medical Research: report of the NH MRC Working Party on Ethics in Medical Research. National Health and Medical Research Council, 1985 (File 35) - Box 8
IVF and the status of children : report by the Senate Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs on national uniformity in laws relating to the status of children born through the use of in vitro fertilisation, 1985 (File 35) - Box 8

Report on de facto relationships. Sydney, New South Wales Law Commission 1983

Artificial conception discussion paper no 1, November 1984. Sydney, New South Wales Law Commission, 1984 (File 35) - Box 8
Sandra Webb, In vitro fertilisation and related procedures in Western Australia, 1983-1987. Perth, 1988 (File 36) - Box 8

Subseries 2-4. Government and political sources, 1985-1995

Photocopies and extracts from Government papers, political platforms, speeches and newspaper cuttings (File 37-41) - Box 9

Includes The case for legal protection of the human embryo, by Brian Harradine, sections from Department of Health Annual reports, 1985-86, 1988-89, statements by political parties on women's issues, policies and platforms, newspaper cuttings, and the Sales tax act, 1935-1973.

Senate Hansard proofs and official reports prior to the Human embryo experimentation bill, 1985-1987 (File 42-53) - Box 9-11
Senate Select Committee on the Human Embryo Experimentation Bill, 1985. Official Hansard report and published Hansard version. (File 54-55) - Box 11

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