基本説明
Provides an inside look at how egg agencies and sperm banks do business.
Full Description
Unimaginable until the twentieth century, the clinical practice of transferring eggs and sperm from body to body is now the basis of a bustling market. In "Sex Cells", Rene Almeling provides an inside look at how egg agencies and sperm banks do business. Although both men and women are usually drawn to donation for financial reasons, Almeling finds that clinics encourage sperm donors to think of the payments as remuneration for an easy 'job.' Women receive more money but are urged to regard egg donation in feminine terms, as the ultimate 'gift' from one woman to another. "Sex Cells" shows how the gendered framing of paid donation, as either a job or a gift, not only influences the structure of the market, but also profoundly affects the individuals whose genetic material is being purchased.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I ORGANIZING THE MARKET
1. Characterizing the Material
2. Selling Genes, Selling Gender
PART II EXPERIENCING THE MARKET
3. Producing Eggs and Sperm
4. Being a Paid Donor
5. Defining Connections
Conclusion
Appendix A: Egg and Sperm Donors'
Characteristics at Time of Interview
Appendix B: Demographics of Donors Based on Profiles at Egg and Sperm Donation Programs
Notes
Bibliography
Index
