Ethics, Sexual Orientation, and Choices about Children

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Some of the help that I received for this book came from conversations that were not directly about the book or even its subject. In those cases, the help came in the form of ideas that contrasted with my own, which helped me imagine the book’s audience, form, and arguments. For their help along these lines, I thank J. Michael Bailey, Alice D. Dreger, and Allan Sanders for discussions that led to a better book. Some of the inspiration for this book came from numerous philosophers, psychologists, and researchers who have contributed to the professional literature, some of whom are not otherwise known to me. It turns out that Tomi Kushner is the godmother of this project. In a conversation we had in Paris during one of the envigorating David C. Thomasma International Bioethics Retreats, I mentioned that I was interested in writing an article about the debate over prenatal interventions for sexual orientation, and she encouraged me to do so. “Who would not want a gay child?” she asked with surprise and characteristic generosity of spirit. It is entirely my fault that the article overflowed its borders and sprawled out into this book. At the MIT Press, Clay Morgan’s long attention span has been important to shepherding this book to publication, and the Press’s reviewers offered respectful counsel even when they disagreed with me. I also want to thank manuscript editor Rosemary Winfield and production editor Deborah Cantor-Adams for diligent help in editing a sometimes unruly original manuscript. Above all, I appreciate the sabbatical leave that was given to me by the University of Illinois College of Medicine. I hope that the College continues its custom of granting sabbatical leaves—difficult as they are to integrate into medical school culture—so that scholars can take the time that is necessary to complete projects like this one. All that remains now is to try to convince neighbors and family members that a sabbatical is not—as they call it—time off. If only. ...