Description
Book SynopsisWhen an individual or couple is considering a difficult choice such as IVF treatment or third party assisted conception, the moral and ethical basis for their decisions may often be informed by their particular faith traditions.
Faith and Fertility is a comprehensive collection of essays by academics and faith leaders from around the world. The reader is introduced to the cultural and religious understanding of fertility as it is practised among diverse international faith traditions. Each chapter is written in an accessible and clear style, outlining each faith's history and its core beliefs and values, showing the influence these have on its moral and ethical perspective on the issues surrounding fertility.
This book will be a welcome resource for anyone seeking information on the plethora of attitudes towards fertility that are at work in today's global and multi-cultural world.
Trade ReviewRequired reading for anyone interested in the field, whether practitioner, ethicist, or simply an observer. I found it compelling reading, and very disturbing. -- Human Fertility
I read it over the Christmas holidays and found that I couldn't put it down... The book succeeds in enlightening the reader and providing a nuances understaning of the different attitudes of the different faiths to assisted conception... and is essential reading for those dealing with patients with diverse religious beliefs. -- Bionews
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction. Chapter 1. A Roman Catholic Perspective on Fertility Issues: Objective Truths, Moral Absolutes and the Natural Law - Jim Richards. Chapter 2. Anglican Faith and Reasoning: Wrestling with Fertility Issues - Phyllis Creighton. Chapter 3. Islamic Identity and the Ethics of Assisted Reproduction - Mohammad Iqbal and Ray Noble. Chapter 4. Hinduism and Reproduction in Contemporary India: Verdic Learnings - Gautam N. Allahbadia, Swati G. Allahbadia and Sulbha Arora. Chapter 5. Chinese Traditional Belief Systems, Livelihood and Fertility - Geok Ling Lee, Celia Hoi Yan Chan, Elizabeth Wai-Hing Choi Hui and Cecilia Lai Wan Chan. Chapter 6. Buddhist Family Values: Fertility and Technological Intervention in the Quest for Enlightenment - Michael G. Barnhart. Chapter 7. 'Broken Calabashes': Yoruba Traditional Faith - Titilayo O. Aderibigbe. Chapter 8. 'Give me children or else I am dead': Orthodox Jewish Perspectives on Fertility - Rabbi Gideon Weitzman. Chapter 9. Faith and Fertility in Reform Jewish Thought - Mark Washofsky. The Editors. Contributors.
