By Grace Y. Kao
My Body,
Their Baby
A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy
At the age of 41, Grace Kao gave birth to a baby for friends who had been yearning for a child for ten years. While a joyous occasion for them all, surrogacy remains one of the most controversial methods of family expansion.
This first-of-its-kind book by an ethicist and former surrogate will intrigue anyone who has ever struggled with infertility, pondered what it would be like to bear and hand over a child for others to raise, or attempted to sort through the moral complexities of assisted reproductive technology.
Meet the Author
Grace Y. Kao
Grace Kao is a Stanford and Harvard-trained Professor of Ethics, the inaugural Sano Chair in Pacific and Asian American Theology, and a founding co-director of the Center for Sexuality, Gender, and Religion (2010-2022) at Claremont School of Theology.
The author or co-editor of four books, she keeps an active speaking schedule and has also provided commentary to media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, local NPR stations, and radio programs in the UK and Australia.
The world needs more scholars like Grace Kao. With thoughtful rigor and deeply human tenderness, she provides a faithful framework for understanding surrogacy. Her cogent, compassionate arguments illuminate a practice that is often consigned to the shadows, and her work shines with creativity, empathy, and care.”
This book breaks the ice on Christian feminist reluctance to think about surrogacy. Painstakingly researched and accessibly written, it will not only inspire needed attention to surrogacy but also influence the whole landscape of Christian ethics of reproduction.”
Kao masterfully weaves together personal narrative, exploration of data, and engagement with scholarly sources in an accessible theology of surrogacy that is responsive to its complexities and generous to her interlocutors.”
Other Books
Encountering the Sacred
Asian American Christian Ethics
Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World
More Praise for My Body, Their Baby
Upcoming Events
Apr 30-May 4, 2024
Maui
As a managing board member of APARRI (the Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative), Dr. Kao will attend the board meeting/retreat.
May 18, 2024
Loma Linda University • Loma Linda, CA
Grace Kao will speak about her latest book at joint event with the Center for Christian Bioethics and the Loma Linda University Humanities Program.
Recent Events
Follow Along
“Where Streams Join”
Dr. Kao recently moderated the opening panel on intergenerational trauma and collective healing...
Antoinette Brown Lecturer
Professor Kao was the 50th Antoinette Brown Lecturer at Vanderbilt Divinity School on March 4-5,...
PAAC Book Launch
Grace Kao hosted a book launch event for authors Soo Jin Lee and Linda Yoon of Where I Belong:...
Press Inquiries
Adam Schnitzer, Marketing & Sales Director
aschnitzer@stanford.edu
Mailing Address
Claremont School of Theology
1325 N. College Ave, Claremont, CA 92867
Office Hours
(Book directly by clicking the image)
Event Inquiries
(click the icon)
