Conceiving Christian America

A stunning portrait of how the reproductive politics of ‘saving’ embryos is closely tied to contemporary right-wing politics of ‘saving’ lives through abortion bans. A must-read. -- Marcia Inhorn, author of Motherhood on Ice: The Mating Gap and Why Women Freeze Their Eggs
Beautifully written and thoroughly researched. Conceiving Christian America is a brilliant tribute to the tradition of feminist cultural analysis out of which it emerges. This book will surely become an instant classic. -- Sarah Franklin, Director, Reproductive Sociology Research Group, University of Cambridge
Remarkable and timely. . . . Cromerbrings nuance and sophistication to understanding what lies behind the polarizing politics of the culture wars around reproduction in America. -- Faye Ginsburg, co-editor, Conceiving the New World Order: The Global Politics of Reproduction
Brimming with riveting stories . . . Cromer presents a compelling look inside a growing social movement that aims to transform how we think about embryos, reproduction, and the nation. Conceiving Christian America offers invaluable insight for clinicians and policymakers, andmakes a powerful contribution to feminist social science on the reproductive politics of American conservatism. -- Lynn Morgan, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Mount Holyoke College
Cromer emphasizes her encounters with many individuals who support embryo adoption yet reject these associations–and in fact draw on their faith tradition to oppose these distorted values. Her final reflections, however, invite us to a more sobering conclusion: the entrenched patterns of white innocence and white saviorism operating in embryo adoption fuel the larger project of the far right, which has greater ambitions and threatens devastating consequences. * Center for Genetics and Society *
The book is rich with ethnographic insights, historical context, applications to sociological and anthropological concepts, and implications for the current political landscape in the United States. * Gender & Society *
Conceiving Christian America helps us better understand the political landscape of our post-Dobbs world, in which we see conservative denominations and state legislatures speaking against IVF for reasons similar to those of many of the embryo adoption proponents Cromer describes. Her mapping of the Right’s reproductive politics, and her reminder that these new positions are anything but, give us the tools to better teach our present. * Reading Religion *
Conceiving Christian America would be excellent material for courses in anthropology, sociology, and American studies, and some religious studies, gender studies, and political science courses; it will appeal to scholars across these fields and curious lay readers as well. It is nuanced and peopled with interesting characters, many of whom transcend chapters and evolve through their encounters with the contradictions of this world ... will open the eyes of many different readers. * American Anthropologist *
Cromer deftly suspends judgment in accompanying the people involved in embryo adoption, setting politics to the side to understand their alignments—and frictions—even as the political agenda of embryo adoption is diametrically opposed to reproductive justice frameworks she holds dear. * American Anthropologist *