Fear, Wonder, and Science in the New Age of Reproductive Biotechnology

This book helps individuals make informed choices about in vitro fertilization, abortion, egg freezing, surrogacy, and other matters of reproduction. Scott Gilbert and Clara Pinto-Correia explain why some of the major forms of assisted reproductive technologies were invented, how they are used, and what they can and cannot accomplish. How does one make decisions today about in vitro fertilization, abortion, egg freezing, surrogacy, and other matters of reproduction? This book provides the intellectual and emotional intelligence to help individuals make informed choices amid misinformation and competing claims. Scott Gilbert and Clara Pinto-Correia speak to the couple trying to become pregnant, the woman contemplating an abortion, and the student searching for sound information about human sex and reproduction. Their book is an enlightening read for men as well as for women, describing in clear terms how babies come into existence through both natural and assisted reproductive pathways. They update "the talk" for the twenty-first century: the birds, the bees, and the Petri dishes. Fear, Wonder, and Science in the New Age of Reproductive Biotechnology first covers the most recent and well-grounded scientific conclusions about fertilization and early human embryology. It then discusses the reasons why some of the major forms of assisted reproductive technologies were invented, how they are used, and what they can and cannot accomplish. Most important, the authors explore the emotional side of using these technologies, focusing on those who have emptied their emotions and bank accounts in a valiant effort to conceive a child. This work of science and human biology is informed by a moral concern for our common humanity. CONTENTS FOREWORD PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PART I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STORY 1. CONCEPTUAL DETOX 2. STORIES OF INFERTILITY AND ITS CONQUEST PART II. FERTILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS 3. FERTILIZATIONES 4. FERTILITY RITES PART III. THE MOTHER AND HER FETUS 5. NORMAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE BEGINNING OF HUMAN LIFE 6. TECHNOLOGICAL MOTHERHOOD PART IV. IMPROVING THE HUMAN CONDITION THROUGH BIOLOGY 7. CLONING ANIMALS, CELLS, AND GENES 8. GLORY DAYS PART V. EPILOGUES 9. INFERTILITY WARS 10. THE HUMAN CONDITION OF FEAR AND WONDER APPENDIX A. FIELD GUIDE TO ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES GLOSSARY NOTES REFERENCES INDEX This text helps individuals make informed choices about in vitro fertilization, abortion, egg freezing, surrogacy, and other matters of reproduction. Scott Gilbert and Clara Pinto-Correia explain why some of the major forms of assisted reproductive technologies were invented, how they are used, and what they can and cannot accomplish