Fertility’s Mega-Mall

CGS : Fertility’s Mega-Mall: The face of the modern fertility industry is not hard to characterize. Soothing phrases like 'infertility cure,' 'new hope,' and 'altruistic donation of life' are illustrated by blissful parents coddling picture-perfect newborns. All of this is crafted to reassure us that assisted reproductive technologies are, simply and purely, a good thing.

However, the fertility industry is just that: an industry. Fueled by billions of dollars of commercial interests worldwide, the booming ART marketplace is fraught with allurements that distract any notice of its practical, social and ethical downsides.

Case and point: The Fertility Show.

This past weekend, thousands flocked to London's Olympia where over 100 exhibitors, primarily local and overseas fertility clinics, proffered their latest wares. Among the numerous booths, one could buy anything from 'IVF Holiday' packages in Barbados to Skype consultations with 'the fertility astrologer.'