In Search of Parenthood: Coping with Infertility and High-Tech Conception [Hardcover]

Judith Lasker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 1994

Judith N. Lasker is a Professor of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Lehigh University. Susan Borg is Director of the Department of Urban Planning and Development, West Orange, New Jersey. Together they have also authored "When Pregnancy Fails: Families Coping with Miscarriage, Ectopic Pregnancy, Stillbirth and Infant Death."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Lasker and Borg, each of whom suffered devastating experiences in becoming a mother, survey the social, ethical, political and legal aspects of birth technology. They do not address the technical or biological aspects. They discuss the various treatments and the stress of infertility and its effects on would-be parents, their families, sperm donors, surrogate mothers, the children, and personnel involved in the treatments. Of special interest is the debate over the legitimate needs of infertile individuals at risk of losing their chances of having children versus the possible abuses in commercializing conception. Recommended for public libraries and philosophy and women's studies collections. Karen Jackson, Susanna Wesley Sch., Tallahassee, Fla.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Anyone considering a new method of conception or struggling to resolve infertility should read this book. The authors point to the need for more public discussion of infertility and more social support groups for the infertile. Reading and discussing this book is a first step. It is also an excellent supplementary text for courses in human sexuality, sex and gender roles, women and society, or medical ethics, and is guaranteed to provoke lively class discussion."
—Contemporary Sociology

"This book will be useful for several audiences. Infertile women and men considering the new reproductive technologies will find this book an invaluable resource. Health professionals working with infertility patients will find that the book offers helpful insights into the experiences and concerns of their clients. Finally, researchers studying infertility will find this book to be a rich source of interesting hypotheses."
—Contemporary Psychology

"Lasker and Borg present a thoughtful and sensitive examination of the world of the new reproductive technologies. Most importantly, they offer us the voices of the women and men who have been there: in infertility clinics, in in vitro programs, in so-called 'surrogacy' contracts. They share with us the success and failure, joy and grief of our brave new world of reproduction."
—Barbara Katz Rothman, author of The Tentative Pregnancy: Prenatal Diagnosis and the Future of Motherhood

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; Rev Upd Su edition (December 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566392586
• ISBN-13: 978-1566392587
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

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