Anissa Stewart INQ 110-R11/15/2012IV: Google BabiesClass, Colorism, and Consumer Culture- Today it is relatively easier to find infertility centers online- The internet is now providing online shopping for surrogates- Reproductive Tourismo A way for couples to avoid their state or countries regulations to have a child through IVF or surrogacy- Women in Austria, Egypt and France among other countries cannot participate in surrogate contracts- Some US states and European countries do not allow payments to surrogates- Countries in most of Asia and Africa have no regulations since they have no agencies- These bans are caused by religious, ethnic, racial and class gaps within their societies- Online advertisements from each agencies lists the specifics for their states- Full-service and one-stop agencieso Surrogacy health insurance contractso Provisions of lodgings for out-of-state surrogates and their families o Referral to a legal specialisto Referrals to psychological testingo Nutrition counselor for the surrogate as well as insured bonded escrow services to handle the payments- Research by cultural anthropologistso Consumers and ART agencies that supply genetic material apply racial logico They place higher values on genetic material provided by Caucasianso Consumers (that are not black) associate lighter skin and whiteness with desirabilityo These separations come from racial and class inequalitieso This ignorance allows for customer rights thus blinding them to the belief of white purity and skin color hierarchiesClass, Colorism, and Consumer Choice in the Egg and Sperm Market- Eggs must be purchased as the first stage of the gestational surrogate process- Usually the egg is purchased from a third party (not the surrogate)- 20 years ago the surrogate also donated her egg- Due to many court gases this has been stopped- ART has changed dramatically over the years allowing for better harvesting- Eggs and sperm are no longer being donated, but they are being sold for a monetary gain- Rene Lynn Almelingo Sociologist did a study of the eggs and sperm commercial marketo The sperm and egg market is organized to reinforce assumptions about gender roles and ideologieso Reported structural changeso 1980’s doctors began giving private agencies more control over these previously medical procedureso Class, education, gender and sexual orientation play a role in the valuation of eggs o Example A first time donor will receive less than $4KAnissa Stewart INQ 110-R11/15/2012 An experienced and well educated donor will receive $6Ko When there is a high demand for donors agencies begin to focus on race, class and sexual orientationo Because of such high demand for donors and diversity donors of color are given more moneyo If the recipients are perceived as wealthy the donor will ask for even more moneyo If the first cycle fails the recipients may be offered a discount on the second cycleo Money was the underlying motivation for many women to sell their eggs- Many egg donors are working lower middle class jobs - Individuals purchase eggs and sperm based on the donors characteristics both physical and social- These characteristics include age, race, height, hair color etc…- Consumers base their decisions on the social characteristics such as genetic heritage, skin color, educational achievement and body type- Egg and sperm have no skin color yet their value is based on the donors skin color thus the transaction is surrounded by the racial hierarchies - This is known as a form of symbolic capital o White or lighter skin = higher education and better genetic backgroundso Black skin = low-income, low to no education- Thompsono A Japanese women and her husband came to the US to find a egg donor and found an Asian American, but when they found her to be of Korean descent her skin color was not enough for them. - African American women have a harder time finding sperm donors if they are trying to match their ethnicity with their donorsVI: IndiaA View from the Global South- On July 25th, 2009 Manji Yamada was borno Her father donated his sperm to a surrogate women who used her own eggo While the surrogate was pregnant, the Yamada’s divorced o This left Manji motherless and a foreignero India law bans single men to adopt a female infanto The wife Yuki Yamada had no biological attachment to the child o She was eventually given to her 74 year old grandma- India has become a hotspot in tourist surrogacy although it’s not as great as California- Anand, India is found to be cheaper than the US - Documentary Google Baby 2010o Doron a gay Israelí entrepernar helps homosexual Israelí couples have familieso The couple buys the egg and sperm online so that the child can be born in India o The surrogates go through their pregnancies in a guarded facility- Amrita Pandeo 2006-2008o 42 gestational surrogatesAnissa Stewart INQ 110-R11/15/2012o From no education to high schoolo Married with at least one child o Extremely pooro Surrogacy is very stigmatizedo Surrogates go into ‘hiding’ in dorms to seclude themselves during their pregnancieso Sexualized Care Work The surrogates felt a maternal bond due to the shared blood and breast milk while also laboring through pregnancy and giving birth to these childrenQuotes- “Radicalized social hierarchies operate as decisions made about the desirability and the attractiveness of egg donors.” P33- “Although neither eggs nor sperm possess skin color, yet their value is interpreted within hierarchies that privilege specific social characteristics.”P33- “However, she changed her mind after learning that the parents of the egg donor were from Korea…” P34- “Indian law does not permit an unmarried man to adopt a female infant.” P45- “She became a surrogate orphan…” P45- “They insist upon their shared blood during pregnancy,…” P46SummaryChapter IV displayed the amazing advances that have come about thanks to the internet. It also sadly made me realize that racism has seeped into everything and is just as strong as it was 20 years ago. It is ridiculous to think that light and white skin is seen as pureover that of black skin. Especially when the surrogate is only an incubator for the already fertilized child. No for an egg or sperm donor than race should be taken into account if youAnissa Stewart INQ 110-R11/15/2012are trying to have a white child or a Latino child.