by PhyllisChesler (Author)
In 1985, Mary Beth Whitehead signed a contract agreeing to act as a surrogate mother for William and Elizabeth Stern for a payment of $10,000. After giving birth to the child, known in the case as Baby M , she decided to break her contract and keep the baby. Her decision led to a court battle that made headlines everywhere. The author explores the impact of this case on our society's legal, psychological and ethical condition. This book uses this case to explore such questions as: what makes a mother - or father - fit, and who decides? Should surrogacy be abolished? Who can determine a child's best interests ? Will pregnancy and childbirth become a blue-collar occupation ? Phyllis Chesler also wrote Women and Madness , About Men , With Child and Mothers on Trial: The Battle for Children and Custody .
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 212
Publisher: Virago Press Ltd
Published: 15 Feb 1990
ISBN 10: 1853811289
ISBN 13: 9781853811289