Labor Of Love: Gestational Surrogacy And The Work Of Making Babies (Families In Focus) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
While the practice of surrogacy has existed for millennia, new fertility technologies have allowed women to act as gestational surrogates, carrying children that are not genetically their own. While some women volunteer to act as gestational surrogates for friends or family members, others get paid for performing this service. The first ethnographic study of gestational surrogacy in the United States, Labor of Love examines the conflicted attitudes that emerge when the ostensibly priceless act of bringing a child into the world becomes a paid occupation. Heather Jacobson interviews not only surrogate mothers, but also their family members, the intended parents who employ surrogates, and the various professionals who work to facilitate the process. Seeking to understand how gestational surrogates perceive their vocation, she discovers that many regard surrogacy as a calling, but are reluctant to describe it as a job. In the process, Jacobson dissects the complex set of social attitudes underlying this resistance toward conceiving of pregnancy as a form of employment. Through her extensive field research, Jacobson gives readers a firsthand look at the many challenges faced by gestational surrogates, who deal with complicated medical procedures, delicate work-family balances, and tricky social dynamics. Yet Labor of Love also demonstrates the extent to which advances in reproductive technology are affecting all Americans, changing how we think about maternity, family, and the labor involved in giving birth. For more, visit http://www.heatherjacobsononline.com/
Series: Families in Focus
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Rutgers University Press; 1 edition (March 15, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0813569508
ISBN-13: 978-0813569505
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
Best Sellers Rank: #271,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #11 in Books > Textbooks > Medicine & Health Sciences > Medicine > Clinical > Reproductive Medicine & Technology #32 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Reproductive Medicine & Technology #113 in Books > Textbooks > Medicine & Health Sciences > Medicine > Clinical > Obstetrics & Gynecology
This is an invaluable contribution to the study of surrogacy parenting, and the ethical and political discourse around the practice. Heather Jacobson's perspective is original and provocative. Surrogates are carefully screened and instructed about how important is their proactive role ("job") in the process, yet many of us who are involved in this field are often diligent in stressing that they are not employees. But in the process of "protecting" the practice from social criticism, do many of us in the "surrogacy community" actually minimized the amount of "work" these women have to put into the process? How emotionally involved they are, and how invested they feel in the success of these journeys? Heather Jacobson's ethnographic research documents the process, something that psychological studies and ethical papers do not set out to do. The study is comprehensive, the observations insightful, and the conclusions thought-provoking. I highly recommend getting this to anyone who is interested in more "mindful surrogacy". It should be interesting for current or future surrogate, members of families that benefited from surrogacy, and anyone else who is interested in these areas professionally or politically. The book is very well written and accessible to all readers, not just in academia.
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