Babies of Technology ─ Assisted Reproduction and the Rights of the Child

Millions of children have been born in the United States with the help of cutting-edge reproductive technologies, much to the delight of their families. But alarmingly, scarce attention is 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 voices of the child born through the use of reproductive technology. 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 industry charges forward as a multi-billion-dollar industry. This far-reaching inquiry seeks to answer 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.