Dr Sigrid Vertommen is a research fellow at the Department of Conflict and Development Studies at Ghent University, and an affiliated scholar at the Sociology of Reproduction Research Group of the University of Cambridge. Her work explores the global politics of (assisted) reproduction, with a focus on transnational surrogacy between Israel/Palestine and Georgia. She is also a feminist and slow science organiser.

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Dr Sigrid Vertommen

Sigrid’s researcher, King’s College London

Speaker

Seminar

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We’ll be in the Viewing Room. It’s next to the Library entrance on level 2, which you can reach by taking the lift or the stairs.

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Exploring research

Surrogacy as Reproductive Labour

Hear Dr Sigrid Vertommen discuss her research on women’s roles in “reproductive labour” in the global fertility industry as she explores the boundaries between gift-commodity, motherhood-work and altruism-profit in the fertility industry.  

Over the past two decades, surrogate pregnancy has transformed from a small-scale activity into a booming 30-billion-dollar “baby business”. Women, overwhelmingly from the global South and East, are recruited as egg-cell providers or surrogates to provide the “gift of life” to intended parents. 

The talk will draw on archival material and ephemera from Wellcome Collection’s library, such as promotional material from The Fertility Show. After the talk, you’ll have the opportunity to look at some key documents from the archives and ask questions.

Hear Dr Sigrid Vertommen discuss her research on women’s roles in “reproductive labour” in the 30-billion-dollar global fertility industry. After the talk you’ll have the opportunity to look at key documents from Wellcome Collection’s archives and ask questions.

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