Assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), sperm and egg donation, surrogacy, and germ line genetic modification, have proliferated worldwide in the past forty years. Authors Sigillo (EdSurge, Inc.) and Miller (Univ. of Nevada, Reno) explore factors that influence and shape people’s knowledge and sentiments regarding these technologies, their applications, and how they are regulated through law and policy. Chapter 2 discusses how the technologies in turn may influence family law. Succeeding chapters provide discussions of the influence of the media, demographics, and changing social norms on people’s attitudes towards reproductive technologies. . . The most important contribution of this revision of Sigillo's dissertation is its presentation of two empirical studies on how psychological processes affect community sentiment toward IVF. Interestingly, the studies find that people use knowledge acquired through the media to construct cognitive shortcuts and heuristics that inform their sentiments (whether positive or negative) and behavior (whether supportive or obstructive) with respect to the technologies and related policy. As expressed in the language of the concluding chapter, "divided sentiment remains." Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students.

Choice Reviews

Alexandra E. Sigillo and Monica K. Miller have produced an insightful account of the lived experiences of assisted reproductive technologies and how these experiences intersect across life domains. A must-read book for anyone interested in a fresh perspective on family building—via community sentiment—in the 21st century.

Olga van den Akker, Middlesex University London