New Ways of Making Babies: The Case of Egg Donation

by Cynthia B. Cohen (Editor)

Overview

". . . extremely valuable. [This book] addresses exactly the right questions in a balanced, nuanced way." —Journal of the American Medical Association

"Cohen's book is a major contribution to the literature of the inevitable." —Medical Humanities Review

"This book provides readers with an insightful overview of the practice of oocyte donation, the broader issues raised by this innovative yet problematic technology and, given the recommendations of NABER, how these issues mights be resolved. . . . Well written, structured, researched, and thought-provoking, this book makes a timely, important, and worthwhile contribution to the growing body of reproductive technology scholarship." —Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Home Page

"Detailed notes; extensive references; comprehensive research . . . Recommended . . ." —Choice

Leading scholars investigate the difficult ethical, legal, and policy issues that surround egg donation and the new reproductive technologies as a whole. In addition, the book describes procedures at four egg-donation centers and presents a new set of guidelines from the National Advisory Board on Ethics in Reproduction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253330581
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	09/22/1996
Series:	Medical Ethics
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

CYNTHIA B. COHEN is Senior Research Fellow at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University and Adjunct Associate at the Hastings Center. She is the former Executive Director of NABER and has published extensively in the field of medical ethics, including editing the Casebook on the Termination of Life-Sustaining Treatment and the Care of the Dying.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part A. Procedures and Policies at Four Oocyte Donation Centers

1. Donor OOcyte Program at University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Nancy A. Klein, M.D., Gretchen Sewall, R.N., M.S.W., and Michael R. Soules, M.D.

2. OOcyte Donation Program at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. David H. Barad, M.D. and Brian L. Cohen, M.D.

3. Oocyte Donation Service at IVF America-Boston, Waltham, Massachusetts. Patricia M. McShane, M.D.

4. Oocyte Donation Program at Huntington Reproductive Center: Quality Control Issues, Pasadena, California. Paulo Serafini, M.D., Jeffrey Nelson, D.O., Shelley B. smith, M.A., M.F.C.C., Ana Richardson, R.N., B.S.N., and Joel Batzofin, M.D.

Part B. Ethical Policy Issues Raised by Egg Donation

5. New Reproductive Technologies and the Family. Thomas H. Murray, Ph.D.

6. Moral Concerns about Institutionalized Gamete Donation. Lisa Sowle Cahill, Ph.D.

7. Parents Anonymous. Cynthia B. Cohen, Ph.D., J.D.

8. What Is Wrong with Commodification? Ruth macklin, Ph.D.

9. Genetic Screening in Oocyte Donation: Ethical and Legal Aspects. Carson STrong, Ph.D.

10. Towards a Feminist Perspective on Gamete Donation and Reception Policies. Rosemarie Tong, Ph.D.

11. Private and Public Policy Alternatives in Oocyte Donation. Andrea L. Bonnicksen, Ph.D.

12. Legal Uncertainties in Human Egg Donation. John A. Robertson, J.D.

13. The Differential Effects of Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status on Infertility and its Treatment: Ethical and Policy Issues for Oocyte Donaltion. Elizabeth Heitman, Ph.D. and Mary Schlachtenhaufen, J.D.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Diane M. Kondratowicz, PhD (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description: Focusing upon our increasing reproductive capabilities, this edited work offers a collection of essays written by noted scholars in the fields of reproductive medicine, biomedical ethics, law, and public policy.
Purpose: Developed by the National Advisory Board on Ethics in Reproduction (NABER), this volume is intended to identify and recommend ways to resolve many of the troublesome issues raised by reproductive technologies in general and oocyte donation in particular.
Audience: This work is intended for a wide and varied audience, including, as the editor indicates, healthcare practitioners in reproductive medicine, patients, state and federal policymakers, and interested lay persons. The book would also lend itself well to academic instruction.
Features: Consisting of 18 chapters, this book is divided into three sections, each of which explores an important aspect of oocyte donation. Section I discusses the rationales underlying the established policies and procedures at four distinctive fertility programs within the United States. Consisting of 10 essays, Section II explores the many troublesome ethical, legal, policy, and economic aspects of oocyte donation. Divided into four parts, Section III reports on the current practice of this intervention and offers the recommendations of NABER.
Assessment: This book provides readers with an insightful overview of the practice of oocyte donation, the broader issues raised by this innovative yet problematic technology and, given the recommendations of NABER, how these issues might be resolved. Given the similarities between this and other fertility interventions currently practiced, this work will likely prompt renewed critical reflection and dialogue about our increasing reproductive capacities. Well written, structured, researched, and thought-provoking, this book makes a timely, important, and worthwhile contribution to the growing body of reproductive technology scholarship.

Doody's Review Service