The Baby Business

by Spar, Debora L.

• ISBN13: 9781591396208
• ISBN10: 1591396204
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-28
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Pr

Summary

Despite legislation that claims to prohibit it, there is a thriving market for babies spreading across the globeFueled by rapid advances in reproductive medicine and the desperate desires of millions of would-be parents, the acquisition of children-whether through donated eggs, rented wombs, or cross-border adoption-has become a multibillion dollar industry that has left science, law, ethics, and commerce deeply at odds.In The Baby Business, Debora Spar argues that it is time to acknowledge the commercial truth about reproduction and to establish a standard that governs its transactions. In this fascinating behind-the-scenes account, she combines pioneering research and interviews with the industry's top reproductive scientists and trailblazers to provide a first glimpse at how the industry works: who the baby-makers are, who makes money, how prices are set, and what defines the clientele. Fascinating stories illustrate the inner workings of market segments--including stem cell research, surrogacy, egg swapping, "designer babies," adoption, and human cloning--as Spar explores the moral and legal challenges that industry players must address.The first purely commercial look at an industry that deals in humanity's most intimate issues, this book challenges us to consider the financial promise and ethical perils we'll face as the baby business moves inevitably forward.

Author Biography

Debora L. Spar is the Spangler Family professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Reconceiving Recess
The Quest to Conceive	1	(30)
Attacking an Ancient Affliction
A Cluster of Cells	31	(38)
Mechanics of the Modern Fertility Market
Renting Wombs for Money and Love	69	(28)
The Emerging Market for Surrogacy
Designing Babies	97	(32)
Fixing Flaws and Pursuing Perfection
Return to the Forbidden Planet	129	(30)
Issues in Human Cloning
Trading Places	159	(36)
The Practice and Politics of Adoption
Songs of Solomon	195	(40)
Prospects for Building a Better Baby Trade
Notes	235	(44)
Acknowledgments	279	(4)
Index	283	(16)
About the Author	299