ABSTRACT
This chapter examines families created by the different types of contemporary reproductive technology with particular attention to the issues and concerns that have been raised by these procedures and to the findings of research on parenting in these new family forms. Although there is a growing body of empirical research on families created by assisted reproduction, many investigations have focused on children and not on parents. Only those studies that have addressed parenting are discussed in this chapter. The chapter is organized according to the three major types of contemporary reproductive technology; in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), donor conception, and surrogacy. Within each section, the concerns that have been raised regarding parenting are discussed, followed by an examination of the empirical evidence. The chapter ends with a consideration of future directions in the development of contemporary reproductive technologies and general conclusions about parenting in these new family forms.
