PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsReviewsBook Review: Adopting after Infertility - Messages from Practice, Research and Personal Experience

BioNews

Book Review: Adopting after Infertility - Messages from Practice, Research and Personal Experience

Published 5 February 2013 posted in Reviews and appears in BioNews 584

Author

Dr Berenice Golding

PhD student. Research focuses on egg sharing from the perspective of the egg share donor.
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.

This book is a must-read for those with an academic, professional and personal interest in the topic of adoption and assisted reproduction. It provides an accessible, insightful - and at times emotive account - of what it means to be infertile, how the adoption process works, and what it is like to be an adoptive parent...


Adopting After Infertility: Messages from Practice, Research and Personal Experience

Edited by Rachel Balen and Dr Marilyn Crawshaw

Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

ISBN-10: 1849050287, ISBN-13: 978-1849050289

Buy this book from Amazon UK

'Adopting After Infertility: Messages from Practice, Research and Personal Experience' edited by Rachel Balen and Dr Marilyn Crawshaw


This book is a must-read for those with an academic, professional and personal interest in the topic of adoption and assisted reproduction. It provides an accessible, insightful - and at times emotive account - of what it means to be infertile, how the adoption process works, and what it is like to be an adoptive parent. Some of the interdisciplinary, theoretical perspectives, and the psychological and social difficulties that must be negotiated by those seeking to adopt are covered. The chapters can be read in succession or individually, dependent upon the reader's interests.

The chapters include research from the United Kingdom (UK), Denmark and Germany. Common to the chapters are the issues those diagnosed with infertility have to navigate. The inclusion of international perspectives further highlights the issues infertile couples face here in the UK and abroad when they decide to adopt. Additionally, including personal accounts about the process of becoming an adoptive parent demonstrates what it means to parent in the absence of a genetic link to one's children.

One of the best things about this book is it covers many aspects of the journey from infertility to adoption in a single volume. Thus, I believe it can act as a useful starting point for research into infertility and the adoption process. Accounts of the impact of infertility locate the issue within the wider context of access to assisted reproduction treatments (ARTs) in the UK and Europe.

The account provided by Professor Gayle Letherby demonstrates the multi-faceted nature of the quest to achieve parenthood for some people. Drawing upon sociological literature and dominant discourses surrounding what society perceives to be 'natural', Professor Letherby suggests that - while societal perceptions are changing - there may be stigma associated with involuntary childlessness that is not necessarily alleviated through adoption.

Interestingly, the book provides an account of the experiences of German infertile couples. This comparative account provides an interesting international perspective regarding the counselling process and new family formation. A further area of interest is the chapter by Dr Marilyn Crawshaw and Rachel Balen, who explore the adoption process from the perspective of professionals working with people with existing health conditions.

Dr Crawshaw and Ms Balen question whether people with acquired or congenital health conditions make suitable adoptive parents. The authors argue that - rather than being excluded as potential adoptive parents - a full consideration of the wider implications of their health conditions should be undertaken. Thus, they contend professionals and adoption social workers need to draw upon a greater knowledge base, an analysis I would agree with.

In Chapter five, Dr Crawshaw's commentary would interest adoption social workers. Her account explores not only the feelings of potential adoptive parents; it also considers the impact of adoption on wider interpersonal relationships. She also provides useful assessment tools that can aid the work of adoption social workers in their assessment of couples suitable to become adoptive parents.

The following chapter provides an overview of the adoption process and the adoption panel's role. I believe this makes the chapter of interest to those considering adoption, particularly as it might help allay any fears prospective parents might have about panel meetings. The book also contains an analysis of the perceptions of adoption and the willingness to adopt among British South Asian communities. This illustrates how these communities react towards involuntary childlessness and adoption.

The final chapters explore inter-country adoption, what it means to become a parent following adoption, the research and theories that underpin current understandings of nature and nurture, and the impact upon familial relationships following an adopted child's decision to seek their birth parents. These chapters further inform and enable the reader to explore a range of issues pertinent to this field.

One of the highlights of the book for me is the integration of the cultural perspective provided by Sally Baffour in Chapter eight. Her moving account of being a black adoptive parent provides an invaluable account of the issues she had to face. She also provides an account of life as an adoptive parent. I highly recommend this book. The messages from practice, research and personal experience provide an important insight into the adoption process following an infertility diagnosis.


Buy Adopting After Infertility: Messages from Practice, Research and Personal Experience from Amazon UK.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Event Review: Administrative Review of Assisted Human Reproduction Canada

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
1 August 2022 • 3 minutes read

Podcast Review: Stories of Our Times – IVF, fraud and 'unwanted' children

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

TV Review: DNA Family Secrets – series two, episode six

20 June 2022 • 5 minutes read

Documentary Review: Our Father

20 June 2022 • 4 minutes read

Podcast Review: How Far Could Genome Editing Go?

13 June 2022 • 3 minutes read

Podcast Review: Happy Mum Happy Baby – Tom Daley

8 August 2022 • 4 minutes read

Podcast Review: Babbage – Editing the code of life

1 August 2022 • 3 minutes read

Podcast Review: Stories of Our Times – IVF, fraud and 'unwanted' children

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

TV Review: DNA Family Secrets – series two, episode six

18 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

TV Review: Spotlight – The babymaker uncovered

11 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

TV Review: DNA Family Secrets – series two, episode three

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856