An aborted fetus is "transopted," or plunked, into an infertile woman and brought to term in this tendentious morality yarn. When Valerie Dalton opts for abortion, physician-with-a-mission Evelyn Fletcher lies about her intentions for the fetus. Alas, baby Renata is born with immune system problems due to prescribed hormone treatments, and only a bone-marrow transplant can save her. Of course, only marrow from the natural mother will do, so the "transoption" is inveiled to public scrutiny, much to the delight of the press, pro-lifers and pro-choicers. A trial ensues, and Fletcher argues that "transoption" would neatly put to rest all the outrage surrounding abortion. Perhaps it would, and if so, we will all be spared a reprise of this two-dimensional story--not to mention its gory (and often gratuitous) details of clinical procedures.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Unmarried and pregnant, Valerie Dalton decides to have an abortion, only to find out seven months later that, because of a doctor's revolutionary new procedure, her unwanted embryo was secretly implanted in the womb of Karen, a woman who was unable to conceive. This starts a custody battle comparable to the Baby M case: Valerie now wants back the baby she relinquished as a fetus; Karen wants the baby she gave birth to. Legal and ethical questions are raised about the medical procedure as well as the question, "Whose baby is it?" The novel describes the anguish that the litigants endure while the courts decide the fate of baby Renata. Aptly named after the biblical story of King Solomon, this novel will be a welcome addition to public libraries in the light of all the ethical questions it addresses.
- Jeannette Rice Erbst, Marlboro Psychiatric Hosp. Lib., N.J.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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