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"Drawing on her own experience as a surrogate mother, Grace Y. Kao assesses the ethics of surrogacy from a feminist and progressive Christian perspective, concluding that certain kinds of surrogacy arrangements can be morally permissible--and should even be embraced. While the use of assisted reproductive technology has brought joy to countless families, surrogacy remains the most controversial path to parenthood. My Body, Their Baby helps readers sort through objections to this way of bringing children into the world. Candidly reflecting on carrying a baby for her childless friends and informed by the reproductive justice framework developed by women of color activists, Kao highlights the importance of experience in feminist methodology and Christian ethics. She shows what surrogacy is like from the perspective of women becoming pregnant for others, parents who have opted for surrogacy (including queer couples), and the surrogate-born children themselves. Developing a constructive framework of ethical norms and principles to guide the formation of surrogacy relationships, Kao ultimately offers a vision for surrogacy that celebrates the reproductive generosity and solidarity displayed through the sharing of traditionally maternal roles"--
List of contents
Introduction
1. A Primer on Surrogacy: Logistics, Laws, and Trends
2. Does Surrogacy Cause Psychological Harm?
3. Does Surrogacy Violate Distinctive Feminist or Christian Commitments?
4. A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy: Advancing the Argument
5. A Progressive Christian Framework for Surrogacy: Seven Principles
6. Assessing the Ethics of More Complex Surrogacy Arrangements
Conclusion
About the author
Grace Y. Kao is Professor of Ethics and founding co-director of the Center for Sexuality, Gender, and Religion at Claremont School of Theology. She co-edited
Encountering the Sacred: Feminist Reflections on Women's Lives (with Rebecca Todd Peters, 2018).
