McElroy, Elizabeth, "Book Review: Conceiving Christian America: Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics by Risa Cromer," Gender & Society, Aug2024, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p659-661

“Conceiving Christian America: Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics” by Risa Cromer explores the role of embryo adoption in promoting white Christian nationalist ideals in the United States. The book draws on ethnographic work to reveal how Christian organizations depict embryos as “frozen orphans” in need of saving, using adoption rhetoric to redefine cultural conceptions of gender and personhood. It discusses the political and moral landscape of in vitro fertilization (IVF), the erasure of women’s bodies in embryo adoption, and the historical legacy of sacralized projects that define children as in need of rescue. The book also examines the dissonance between antiabortion politics and the functional outcomes of embryo adoption programs. Overall, the book provides insights into reproductive technologies, family-making processes, white Christian nationalism, and the current political landscape in the United States.