The Baby Business: How Money, Science, and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception

by Debora L. Spar

Book Overview

Despite legislation that claims to prohibit it, there is a thriving market for babies spreading across the globe. Fueled 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,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591396204
• ISBN13: 9781591396208
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Fabulously Informative and Unemotional

I love this book for what it is. Some other reviers commented on the Stoic nature of the work. They are accurate about that. However, that is why I like it. The book isn't meant to say what's right or wrong or make judgements. The author does raise some ethical and moral questions but makes no attempt to answer them. As someone who has spent some time on the infertility hamster wheel and also has a background in Economics, I found this book fabulous. It is very dense, containing a very informative mix of economics, history and science. It is all about the market for babies.

Clear-eyed Analysis of the Infertility World

Unlike so many books in this field, Ms. Spar does not fall into the trap of sensationalism. Of all of the books I've read on this technology and its impact on society, it is the best.

The Birth of the Scholarly Page Turner

This is good stuff-if not juicy, and Spar casts a wide net that doesn't miss a thing: conception techniques, fertility markets, surrogacy, designer babies, human cloning, and adoption. The writer also has the guts to have a lucid, constructive point of view-never backing away from the controversial subjects many would balk about discussing. This book is a must read for anyone who might, is, or has gone through any of the processes above, and for the rest of us like me, just a great eye-opening read. In fact, I kept thinking as the pages turned: "I had no idea..." As a piece of scholarly writing it is immaculate (check out the pages of footnotes!), but more impressive is the fact that Spar's writing style is trenchant, entertaining and unwavering in it's ability to present a point of view to the reader. I wasn't expecting it, but Spar continually challenges and provokes as she weaves her riveting tale of the dynamics of a topic-both moral and technical-that is dear to the hearts of us all: babies. Wow. A scholarly page-turner!? Shouldn't there be an award for that? It's great read, and I highly recommend it.

Insightful treatise on a difficult and emotional topic

A very insightful treatise on a very difficult and necessarily emotional topic. For anyone involved in the business of fertility or interested in using non-traditional methods of conception or the adoption of children, a must read. Ms. Spar's book is a frank, detailed plunge into the practices, economies and ethics of the "Baby Business" with conclusions that propose a gentle regulation of reproduction practices.

An absolute must read -- a fascinating and well-written argument!!

This book is absolutely fascinating! It considers the burgeoning industry behind reproductive science and its associated web of legal, scientific and commercial interests and issues. Not only is the book's subject matter fascinating, but it is also extremely well-written, offering a nice blend of broad arguments and extraordinary anecdotes. It is an absolute "must read" for anyone interested in the moral, political and legal machinations behind the market for children. I highly recommend it!!!