Review of “Between Families and Frankenstein: The Politics of Egg Donation in the United States”

Abstract

The commodification of human eggs—whether for research or fertility purposes—is the subject of intense bioethical and political debate. With ever-expanding interests in procuring human oocytes for research purposes, examining how egg provision is framed in these two different contexts is an important undertaking. As a medical anthropologist, I have been conducting research on the global market in human eggs, and egg donors’ decisions and experiences, since 2014. Heidt-Forsythe’s book is particularly relevant to my work and to other scholars working in this area. Erin Heidt-Forsythe, is an Assistant Professor at University of Pennsylvania, in the Departments of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Political Science and Bioethics Programs. Her work examines the politics of women’s eggs and how egg “donation” is differentially framed and debated in these two contexts: providing eggs for fertility treatment is perceived as “natural,” while providing eggs for research is somehow “unnatural,” evoking fears of Frankenstinian experimentation.