Cyborg Conception

Grace Halden is a Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. She specialises in reproductive health, reproductive technologies, assisted reproduction (IUI and IVF), donor conception, and bioethics. Her work is interdisciplinary and sits in the juncture between literary studies and medical humanities. Grace is also a solo mother by choice and a professional member of the Donor Conception Network (DCN). She has won several funding grants for her donor conception work (two funded by the Wellcome Institute) and is published widely in the field.

• 1. Introduction: Cyborg Conception.- 2. Involuntary Childlessness: Fertility Clinics and the Disadvantaged Solo Mother.- 3. Selfishly Single? Bioethics and the Solo Mother.- 4. Radical or Reckless? Fiction and the Solo Mother.- 5. By Choice: Lived Experience and Memoir.- 6. Conclusion: Choosing to be Solo not Single: Why Language Matters.

“The book positively contributes to the debate about solo mothers by choice via gamete donation. By blending personal experiences with explorations of fiction, it enriches the existing literature on SMBC and provides unique insights into cyborg conception. As a result, this book is highly recommended to scholars studying feminism, family studies, parenthood, and a broad audience beyond academia, including but not limited to solo mothers and anyone interested in non-traditional reproduction.” (Jinshuo Liu, Medical Law International, February 6, 2025)