MacArthur Grant Sheds Light on Reproductive Technologies
By Elayne Clift,
Sentinel Source
| 09. 18. 2014
[References CGS]
A couple has had miscarriages, considered in-vitro fertilization, discussed adoption and finally opted for a surrogate to bear their baby in India. They visit her before signing on and feel that the agency’s “gestational mothers” are well cared for and decently compensated. But how much do they really know about the practice of cross-border surrogacy?
Thanks to a recent MacArthur Foundation grant to the Center for Genetics and Society and Our Bodies Ourselves, the information gap surrounding surrogacy and other assisted reproductive technologies will be addressed, with an emphasis on human rights and social justice. Light will also be cast on the rapidly growing industry assisted reproductive technologies has spawned.
“Cross-border surrogacy raises thorny questions,” says Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society. “Some people look at women selling their eggs or reproductive capacity as an individual right within the context of wage labor. Others see these practices as deepening gender and class inequalities in a not-so-free market.”
“Most information available in the mainstream fails to paint a complete picture,” adds Ayesha Chatterjee of Our Bodies...
Related Articles
By Dr. Coco Newton, Progress Educational Trust | 03.30.2026
Have you ever wondered what it means to have dozens of half-siblings across the world – or to never know where half of your genetic identity comes from? A recent episode of Zembla explores the human consequences of the global...
By Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe, Wired | 04.24.2026
Two companies that launched last year with plans to create gene-edited babies have already shut down, citing money issues and internal conflict.
One of them, Manhattan Genomics of New York, closed abruptly shortly after announcing a team of scientific advisers...
By Alexandre Piquard, Le Monde [cites Katie Hasson] | 04.27.2026
"Si on en prouve la sûreté, nous croyons que l’édition préventive du génome pourrait être l’une des technologies de santé les plus importantes du siècle. » Lucas Harrington explique ainsi le but de son entreprise Preventive : créer des bébés génétiquement modifiés...
By Abby Vesoulis, Mother Jones | 04.18.2026
Two years ago, we devoted an entire issue to the rise of the American oligarchy. Since then, our oligarchic system has become more entrenched and pervasive, revolving around a small crew of tech titans whose quest for wealth and...
