Monday, April 17, 2017

"Babies of Technology"

New from Yale University Press: Babies of Technology: Assisted Reproduction and the Rights of the Child by Mary Ann Mason and Tom Ekman.

About the book, from the publisher:
Millions of children have been born in the United States with the help of cutting-edge reproductive technologies, much to the delight of their parents. But alarmingly, scarce attention has been paid to the lax regulations that have made the U.S. a major fertility tourism destination. And without clear protections, the unique rights and needs of the children of assisted reproduction are often ignored.

This book is the first to consider the voice of the child in discussions about regulating the fertility industry. The controversies are many. Donor anonymity is preventing millions of children from knowing their genetic origins. Fertility clinics are marketing genetically enhanced babies. Career women are saving their eggs for later in life. And Third World women are renting their wombs to the rich. Meanwhile, the unregulated fertility market charges forward as a multi-billion-dollar industry. This deeply-considered book offers answers to the urgent question: Who will protect our babies of technology?
Mary Ann Mason, Ph.D., J.D., is a professor in the graduate school of the University of California, Berkeley. Tom Ekman, J.D., M. Ed., is a science teacher and writer.

--Marshal Zeringue