Seminal: On Sperm, Health, and Politics (Paperback or Softback)

The complexities and controversies at the nexus of sperm, health, and politics

In Seminal, experts from across the social sciences, humanities, law, and medicine offer a kaleidoscopic view of the relationship between sperm, health, and the intersecting politics of gender, race, and reproduction. Always insightful and often provocative, the essays in this unprecedented collection cover a broad range of issues related to male reproductive and sexual health―including the latest technological developments for creating sperm; the specter of eugenics in contemporary medical markets; emerging approaches to male contraceptive methods, male infertility, and trans healthcare; controversies surrounding sperm donors and sperm banking; disparities in sexual health education for teens―all the while attending to the enormous variation in how individuals and societies understand, embody, and experience sperm.

At a time when the most basic rights of reproductive autonomy are under severe threat, contributors to this volume argue this is precisely the moment to rethink and reimagine sperm from a variety of medical, political, and cultural perspectives. Ultimately, this volume aims to contribute to a more reproductively just society and broaden conversations around bodies, health and equity in the United States.

Rene Almeling is Professor of Sociology at Yale University. She is the award-winning author of GUYnecology: The Missing Science of Men’s Reproductive Health and Sex Cells: The Medical Market for Eggs and Sperm.

Lisa Campo-Engelstein is Professor and Chair of Bioethics & Health Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Brian T. Nguyen is Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Southern California, where he is also Program Director for the Fellowship in Complex Family Planning.