Sex Cells: The Market for Human Eggs and Sperm

Sex Cells?  Well, if you’re reading this, then you can be certain that there were exactly two involved in your making.  However, technology for human reproduction—including gamete and zygote selection—is racing forward, while our society’s cultural norms, medical ethics, and state laws have struggled to keep up.  Rene Almeling, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Yale University will give a talk on the market for human eggs and sperm as part of the 4^th Annual Darwin Day Dinner celebration to be held at 6 P.M. Saturday evening, February 11, 2012, at the Inn at Longshore, in Westport.

Rene Almeling specializes in gender, markets, medicine, and genetics.  Her book, Sex Cells: The Medical Market for Eggs and Sperm was published in Fall 2011.  The project received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Sociological Association.  After receiving her PhD in Sociology in 2008 she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar in Health Policy Research.  She is currently researching genetic testing, genetic counseling, and in vitro fertilization.

Darwin Day is an international celebration of science and humanity held on or around February 12th, the day that Charles Darwin was born in 1809. It celebrates the discoveries and life of Charles Darwin—the man who first described biological evolution via natural selection with scientific rigor. More generally, Darwin Day expresses gratitude for the enormous benefits that scientific knowledge, acquired through human curiosity and ingenuity, has contributed to the advancement of humanity.

To reserve your place, print out the flyer with REGISTRATION FORM (pdf format) and mail to:
CT Darwin Day Committee, 249 Chestnut Hill Road, Norwalk, CT 06851-1412
 For questions contact John Levin at (646) 371-9280 or jlevin@tfm-llc.com, or Craig Tomarkin at ctomarkin@aol.com.