Like a Virgin: How Science Is Redesigning the Rules of Sex

Biologist and freelance science writer Prasad considers how traditional gender roles might change if virgin birth becomes a real possibility. Scientific advances, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, introduced new reproductive options such as in vitro fertilization and other forms of assisted reproductive technology along with novel ethical dilemmas. Today, scientists are working on artificial wombs, ovarian transplants, and ways of creating new life without requiring both a male and a female parent. Prasad considers how these innovative technologies may provide even greater opportunities and ethical challenges for infertile individuals—to the point that traditional sex and gender roles could become obsolete. Many books have been written about in vitro fertilization, but here Prasad takes the discussion to new ethical areas.