On Having an Own Child : reproductive technologies and the cultural construction of childhood
by Karin Lesnik-Oberstein
Language: English
[S.l.] : Routledge, 2019.
xxiv, 199 pages ; 23 cm.
ISBN: 9781855755451 ; 1855755459
Summary: "This is the first book ever to consider in-depth why people want children, and specifically why people want children produced by reproductive technologies (such as IVF, ICSI, etc). As the book demonstrates, even books ostensibly devoted to the topic of why people want children and the reasons for using reproductive technologies tend to start with the assumption that this is either simply a biological drive to reproduce or a socially instilled desire. This book uses psychoanalysis not to provide an answer in its own right, but as an analytic tool to probe more deeply the problems of these assumptions. The idea that reproductive technologies simply supply an 'own' child is questioned in this volume in terms of asking how and why reproductive technologies are seen to create this 'ownness'."--Jacket.
Available: https://www.amazon.com/Having-Own-Child-Reproductive-Technologies/dp/0367325772
Subjects:
- Parenthood -- Psychological aspects
- Human reproductive technology -- Social aspects
- Human reproductive technology -- Psychological aspects
- Parenthood -- Social aspects
Reproducing Jews : a cultural account of assisted conception in Israel
by Susan Martha Kahn
Language: English
Durham : Duke Univ. Press, 2006.
227 p.
ISBN: 0822326019 ; 9780822326014
Summary: There are more fertility clinics per capita in Israel than in any other country in the world and Israel has the world's highest per capita rate of in-vitro fertilization procedures. Fertility treatments are fully subsidized by Israeli national health insurance and are available to all Israelis, regardless of religion or marital status. These phenomena are not the result of unusually high rates of infertility in Israel but reflect the centrality of reproduction in Judaism and Jewish culture. In this ethnographic study of the new reproductive technologies in Israel, Susan Martha Kahn explores the cultural meanings and contemporary rabbinic responses to artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, egg donation, and surrogacy. Kahn draws on fieldwork with unmarried Israeli women who are using state-subsidized artificial insemination to get pregnant and on participant-observation in Israeli fertility clinics. Through close readings of traditional Jewish texts and careful analysis of Israeli public discourse, she explains how the Israeli embrace of new reproductive technologies has made Jewish beliefs about kinship startlingly literal. Kahn also reveals how a wide range of contemporary Israelis are using new reproductive technologies to realize their reproductive futures, from ultraorthodox infertile married couples to secular unmarried women. As the first scholarly account of assisted conception in Israel, this multi-sited ethnography will contribute to current anthropological debates on kinship studies. It will also interest those involved with Jewish studies.
Available: https://www.amazon.com/Reproducing-Jews-Cultural-Conception-Commodity/dp/0822325985/
Subjects:
- Human reproductive technology -- Law and legislation -- Israel
- Human reproductive technology -- Social aspects -- Israel
- Human reproductive technology -- Religious aspects -- Judaism
Embodied progress : a cultural account of assisted conception
by Sarah Franklin
Language: English
London : Routledge, 2005.
XII, 252 p. ; 22 cm.
ISBN: 0415067676 ; 9780415067676
Summary: New reproductive technologies, such as in Vitro fertilization, have been the subject of intense public discussion and debate worldwide. In addition to difficult ethical, moral, personal and political questions, new technologies of assisted conception also raise novel socio-cultural dilemmas. How are parenthood, kinship, and procreation being redefined in the context of new reproductive technologies? Has reproductive choice become part of consumer culture? Embodied Progress offers a unique perspective on these and other cultural dimensions of assisted conception techniques. Based on ethnographic research in Britain, this study foregrounds the experiences of women and couples who undergo IVF, whilst also asking how such experiences may be variously understood.
Available: https://www.amazon.com/Embodied-Progress-Cultural-Assisted-Conception/dp/0415067669/
Subjects:
- Human reproductive technology -- Social aspects
Mommies, daddies, donors, surrogates : answering tough questions and building strong families
by Diane Ehrensaft
Language: English
New York : Guilford Press, ©2005.
xii, 303 pages ; 24 cm.
ISBN: 1593851790 ; 9781593851798
Summary: If you need help having a baby, reproductive technology can supply the answer. But it also raises a host of questions that won’t arise until after the child is born: What will you say to “Where did I come from?” when the answer includes a donor or surrogate? Will knowing the truth about how you conceived to make your child love you less? Will having a baby with someone else strain your relationship with your spouse or partner? What will grandparents, family members, friends, and coworkers think? Dr. Diane Ehrensaft--a developmental and clinical psychologist who’s worked with families formed using assisted reproductive technology for more than 20 years--helps you anticipate the big questions and find solutions that are right for you and your loved ones. Dr. Ehrensaft offers information, support, and straightforward advice for coping with private worries, confronting public prejudices, and raising happy, healthy children. Single or married, straight or gay, anyone looking forward to the joys and challenges of building a family with the help of a donor or surrogate will discover a wealth of thought-provoking ideas and fresh insights in this sensitive, practical, and positive book.
Available: https://www.amazon.com/Mommies-Daddies-Donors-Surrogates-Answering/dp/1593851332/
Subjects:
- Parenting -- Psychological aspects
- Surrogate motherhood -- Psychological aspects
- Human reproductive technology -- Psychological aspects
Everything conceivable : how assisted reproduction is changing our world
by Liza Mundy
Language: English
New York : Anchor Books, 2008.
1 vol. (xx-412 p.) ; 21 cm.
ISBN: 9781400095377 ; 1400095379
Summary: Award-winning journalist Liza Mundy captures the human narratives, as well as the science, behind the controversial, multibillion-dollar fertility industry, and examines how this huge social experiment is transforming our most basic relationships and even our destiny as a species. Skyrocketing infertility rates and dizzying technological advances are revolutionizing American families and changing the way we think about parenthood, childbirth, and life itself. Using in-depth reporting and riveting anecdotal material from doctors, families, surrogates, sperm and egg donors, infertile men and women, single and gay and lesbian parents, and children conceived through technology, Mundy explores the impact of assisted reproduction on individuals as well as the ethical issues raised and the potentially vast social consequences. The unforgettable personal stories in Everything Conceivable run the gamut from joyous to tragic; all of them raise questions we dare not ignore.
Available: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Conceivable-Assisted-Reproduction-Changing/dp/1400095379/
Subjects:
- Human reproductive technology -- Social aspects -- United States
- Human reproductive technology -- Economic aspects -- United States
Test tube families : why the fertility market needs legal regulation
by Naomi R. Cahn
Language: English
New York : New York University Press, [2009].
VIII, 295 p. : tablas ; 24 cm.
ISBN: 9780814716823 ; 0814716822
Summary: The birth of the first test-tube baby in 1978 focused attention on the sweeping advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART), which is now a multi-billion-dollar business in the United States. Sperm and eggs are bought and sold in a market that has few barriers to its skyrocketing growth. While ART has been an invaluable gift to thousands of people, creating new families, the use of someone else’s genetic material raises complex legal and public policy issues that touch on technological anxiety, eugenics, reproductive autonomy, identity, and family structure. How should the use of gametic material be regulated? Should recipients be able to choose the “best” sperm and eggs? Should a child ever be able to discover the identity of her gamete donor? Who can claim parental rights?
Available: https://www.amazon.com/Test-Tube-Families-Fertility-Regulation/dp/0814716822/
Subjects:
- Fertilization in vitro -- Law and legislation -- United States
Beyond expectation : lesbian/bi/queer women and assisted conception
by Jacquelyne Marie Luce
Language: English
Toronto [Ont.] : University of Toronto Press, ©2010.
xv, 278 p.
ISBN: 9781442610088 ; 1442610085
Summary: An in-depth study of lesbian, bi, and queer women's experiences of thinking about and trying to become a parent, Beyond Expectation draws on eighty-two narrative interviews conducted during the late 1990s in British Columbia. Jacquelyne Luce chronicles these women's experiences, which took place from 1980 to 2000, during a period that saw significant changes to the governance of assisted reproduction and the status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents and same-sex partners. Beyond Expectation looks closely at the changing contexts in which women's experiences occurred and draws attention to complex issues such as 'contracting' relationships, mediating understandings of biology and genetics, and decision-making amidst various social, legal, and medical developments. Luce skillfully juxtaposes the stories of her interviewees with the wider public discourses about lesbian/bi/queer parenting and reproductive technology and highlights gaps in existing legislative reforms. Most importantly, Beyond Expectation foregrounds the lived experiences of lesbian, bi, and queer women as they negotiate kinship at the intersection of reproduction, technology, and politics.
Available: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Expectation-Lesbian-Assisted-Conception/dp/1442640634
Subjects:
- Lesbian mothers -- Canada -- Interviews
- Lesbian -- Family relationships -- Canada
- Reproductive technology -- Canada
- Lesbians -- Canada -- Social conditions
- Motherhood -- Political aspects -- Canada
