ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins by establishing general sequelae of reproductive technology: changes in control over reproduction, social consequences of reproductive technology, and ethical dilemmas that result. It discusses a wide variety of issues surrounding reproduction, including the private and personal domain of infertility, the inability to obtain prenatal care or to choose a birth method, and decisions about how to treat dying infants. The book deals with technology-engendered ethical quandaries in the delivery of quality care before and during birth. It explores the difficult topic of decision making in the care of catastrophically ill neonates. The book describes how families and providers are caught in a web of social expectations based on class, gender, and role stereotypes. It investigates the social consequences of technologically assisted fertilization, particularly in the case of commercial surrogacy.
