Baby Mama
1 hour 39 minutes
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Released: April 25, 2008
Directed by Michael McCullers
Distributor: Universal Studios

Technology is defined in the dictionary as “the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment.” Technology has maneuvered its way into the world’s simplest form of living, and has even presented itself in the genre of films writings as well. Today not only is technology used in the production of these films, but in many cases it has made itself part of the plot. Film writers have amplified, stretched, or even created many types of technology to draw their plot lines around, and the movie Baby Mama does just that. Baby Mama is a film that presents something as serious as reproduction and the technologies involved in that, and make it hilarious and understandable to your average audience.
Baby mama is a romantic comedy film released in 2008. It was written and directed by first time director Michael McCullers, staring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Greg Kinnear. The main character in the film is Tina Fey’s character, Kate. Kate is an intelligent single 37 year old woman who’s desperately looking to have a child. She attempts adoption but fails due to the fact that she is a single mother. She then picks a sperm donor and tries in-vitro fertilization nine times but does not manage to get pregnant; she finds out that her chances of conceiving a child is slim to none due to the unusual shape of her uterus. With the devastating news she decides to go through an agency for a surrogate mom. For $100,000 the agency finds a match name Angie (Amy Poehler). Angie is a working class high-school dropout. She’s similar to a child, with no sense of responsibility, eats junk food all day, and is very immature. This juvenile personality of Angie most certainly aids in the humor throughout the film. Angie later gets into a fight with her deadbeat boyfriend Carl (Dax Shepard), forcing her to move into Kate’s house. The clash between the two extremely different personalities becomes the punch line in the comedy during the movie.
Fey’s character is an exaggeration of your typical single independent woman. The character is an executive at an organic grocery-store chain called Round Earth. The name of the grocery store speaks to a more serious issue in the film; the world isn’t completely round. The world isn’t perfect, not everyone can have children so don’t shun the techniques and technologies that is making it possible. This coupled with the Fey’s character’s personalities makes the movie and the situation relatable and easy to follow. It also brings into the movie the political issue with reproductive technologies. Poehler’s character, Angie, is somewhat difficult to follow. Her dim-witted and foolish personality at times is difficult to wrap your head around. Can anyone really be that simple? Greg Kinnear’s character, Rob, is very easy to follow. He plays the other side of the political fence with his numerous comments against the use of surrogate moms. The easy flowing and understandable characters makes the film a pleasing watch.
The situation of surrogacy is a very involved process for both women; the surrogate mother has the baby inside her womb, and the future mother wants to feel as connected as possible. Quite often the future mother attends doctor’s appointments to try and get as much of a similar experience as the surrogate mother. When Kate finds out that Angie got an ultrasound without her she is furious. As the film continues the audience finds out that Angie is unfortunately faking the pregnancy. “You shouldn’t have forged that pregnancy test Carl”. Carl responds with “Maybe you should have actually gotten pregnant like you were supposed to. You were supposed to forge the test, send the fake ultrasound picture in the mail and cash the check. The relationship that Angie and Kate built throughout the film made it difficult for Angie to tell Kate that she isn’t pregnant, so she decides not to. She tries to look pregnant by gaining weight through obsessive eating and ends up purchasing a pregnancy suit to wear underneath her clothing.
As a surrogacy pregnancy continues, the depth of the relationship between the two women continues to flourish. With Kate and Angie Living together and the Thursday night birthing class the two take, they in some way become best friends. While the process persists Angie hits another bump in the road: a second ultrasound test. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem but Angie isn’t pregnant, so we think. As she moves along with the ultrasound process Angie soon finds out that she indeed is pregnant. This roller coaster ride the film takes us on truly aids in the thrill and amusement the movie exudes. Pregnancy is a hard task for a woman because it is something that she is fully committed to for nine months. It affects her social life because of the physical limitations that come with pregnancy. Limitations also affix to the future mother because of social stereotypes that exist in our world today, mainly due to misinformation. Kate ends up meeting a man, Rob and dating him regularly but does not tell him about Angie. During one of the dates, there is a magazine on the table with an article about Kate’s surrogacy agency and in-vitro fertilization. Rob says that “the whole surrogacy process is very science fiction. There are so many kids that need to be adopted and these people pay to have their baby custom carried by a gestation assistance. What is that? A lot of rich people getting what they want. ” This presents the second side to the use of surrogate moms, playing to the political side the film addresses. Kate is very upset and decides not to return any of Rob’s phone calls because she believes that they clearly have different views on important life views. One would really appreciated McCullers, the director, ability to humorously incorporate some technical information involved with in-vitro. He was able to build a comical scene at the baby shower revealing the complication and the steps that must be taking after the in- vitro process. “Kate, I really tried to make you a baby. I swear. … We took a test as soon as we got home and the procedure didn’t work. And I was really horny from the hormones so we did it. I felt like a failure and Carl told me you would get someone else. ” Kate refused to think that the baby inside Angie was not hers and declared “those hormones can also get you a false negative. That’s why they want you to wait two weeks before you take the test” . This scene is very much funny and informative of the process of in-vitro. Baby Mama is less than perfectly written and directed, revealing McCullers novelty to the job of directing. The punch lines throughout the film at times are a bit cliché, and the acting isn’t much further from that. I would give the film an overall rating of a B. McCullers has written numerous comedy films, Austin Powers, being most successful, but has only directed one more show since Baby Mama. McCullers has written Austin Powers Electric Pussycat Swingers Club, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Austin Powers in Goldmember, alongside numerous episodes in “Saturday Night Live”, and the screenplay thunderbirds.

Shock
Robin Cook
New York
G.P.Putnam’s Sons,
2001; 370pgs
$24.95
Egg Donor. To many this may sound simple, men donate their sperm all the time it can’t be that much of a difference, right? Well the answer to that is no, in fact it is extremely different. Sperm donors have an unlimited amount of sperm, and it’s incredibly easy to donate that sperm, speaking to the reason why men only get a few hundred dollars to participate in a sperm donation program. Egg donors, on the other hand, have a limited number of eggs (about 480), and to get these eggs surgery must be undergone. That’s why women can make several thousand dollars for donating some eggs. The novel Shock, written by Robin Cook illuminates the issues surrounding this process of donating your eggs. He sheds light not only on the personal side of donating eggs and the process of in vitro fertilization, but the medical aspects associated with these processes as well. It’s a medical science fiction aimed at warning readers of the unethical process of fertility clinics. The title itself suggests the feeling many may get when looking further into the process of being an egg donor. In fact it spoke to the feeling I got when realizing that women only have about 480 fertile eggs.
Robin Cook is a graduate of Columbia University Medical School and finished his postgraduate medical training at Harvard. He is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Cook writes medical thrillers in order to make the public aware of medical issues on the forefront. To date, he has written about organ donation, genetic engineering, fertility treatment, in vitro fertilization, research funding, managed care, drug research, organ transplantation and bioterrorism. Several of his books have been bestsellers on the "New York Times" Bestseller List. Several of his books have also been featured in Reader's Digest. Cook completes his writings in order to bring to light the ethical issues that exist within the areas he writes about.
Deborah and Joanna, the main characters in the novel Shock, through an advertisement in the school newspaper, The Crimson, learns of a way to earn some “quick cash”. The newspaper markets a relative new medical technique, in-vitro fertilization, to help women who traditional can’t hold or produce a baby, get a taste of motherhood. The article ran by The Crimson is publicizing the need for egg donors. The article states that very strong eggs are needed in order to ensure a higher percentage of successful births. So one would think that the process of selecting eggs would be a tedious one, right? A newspaper advertisement will allow a broader spectrum of people to become possible candidates, increasing the amount of time necessary to determine and eliminate weaker candidates. In addition, college students, in general, may not completely understand the cause and effect of their decision on becoming a sperm donor. Therefore placing an advertisement for such an important donation in a college newspaper should be reevaluated in the medical field as the best way to get possible donors.
Cook is able to further ‘shock’ his readers with is description of the in-vitro fertilization process. He portrays the process as if this branch of medicine is highly unregulated by any government agency. The head of seeking donor candidates, Dr. Donaldson, comes out to the girls’ apartment to interview them as possible donors. The next day they receive the results, finding out they were accepted. “‘You’re not having second thoughts, are you?’ Deborah questioned. ‘Not really,’ Joanna said. ‘But it’s dizzying how quickly everything is happening. ” In other medical procedures, such as a liver transplant, donors have to go through several months of testing to ensure that they are being properly matched and the donation will be a success. Cook even more disturbs his readers with the location of The Westgate Clinic. The clinic is in a small suburb of Boston, named Bookford. Usually, new scientific procedures are done in relatively large cities, such as Boston, New York City or Los Angeles, so it seems odd that the Westgate Clinic is in a suburb. The girls end up doing the procedure, receive their money, and then go off to Venice. Upon their return back to the states a year and a half later, Joanna can't stop wondering about what happened with her donor eggs and whether they turned out to be viable. Her friend, Deborah is mildly interested so they set out to find out something, anything. They end up taking jobs using aliases and disguises in hopes of getting access to the computer files of the clinic. Their search turns up a lot more than they bargained, discovering research that raises many ethical questions. They discover things involving cloning, stealing of ovaries, murder, abortions to further stem cell research, experiments involving human DNA and animals. Cook carries his readers through this thriller simultaneously illuminating the in decent acts of medical clinics.
Cook writes this novel in third person. This narrative technique aids in the author style. Because the information presented to the reader is of all knowing, it in some way authenticates the information. It makes the information seem that much more serious, and ‘shocks’ the readers that much more. Although we as readers know the information is exaggerated, Cooks intentions are stilled fulfilled. The intended light is brought upon the indecency of the reproductive technology. “‘Female embryos have the maximum number of eggs in their ovaries for an individual’s entire life,” Deborah explained. ‘Someplace I read that at a particular point in embryonic development, the female embryo has close to seven or eight million, whereas when it is born it’s down to a million, and by puberty down to three of four hundred thousand. ’” With this information the clinic was impregnating the women and aborting the pregnancy, at a particular point, in order to get more eggs. They wanted as many eggs as possible in order to continue with their extensive research efforts and to create more babies, to satisfy infertile clients, which earned them large amounts of money as profit. With this scene, Cook is able to disturb his reader’s reading, as one would try to wrap their mind around such a horrible act.
Another technique Cook utilizes to again ‘shock’ his reader is narrative discourse. The way he develops the story intensify the situation. He is able to continue to have his readers gasp for breath as they read through the ghastly procedures being performed. The story seems to get even more and more crazier as you read playing to Cook’s intentions of scaring readers. The shape of the novel thus plays a huge role in the impact the issue plays in readers’ minds.
Cook’s novels have anticipated national controversy; in fact the timing of the novel was strategic as well. Cooks states in an interview with Stephen McDonald that, “I wrote this book to address the steam cell issue, which the public really doesn’t know anything about. Besides entertaining readers, my main goal is to get people interested in some of these issues, because it’s the public that ultimately really decide which way we ought to go in something as ethically questioning as stem cell research. ” Cook in this interview states that this novel is most like his book Coma, in that it deals with an issue everyone seems to be concerned about. To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering, fertility treatment, in – vitro fertilization, research funding, managed care, medical malpractice, medical tourism, drug research, and organ transplantation. Although the example of Deborah and Joanna’s story was significantly magnified, Cook uses it to emphasize the point that there are illegal and unethical medical practices occurring within the field of in-vitro fertilization. And without the public having knowledge of these unethical procedures, they cannot do anything to protest; but now, since Cook brought to light the ethical issues that are within this aspect of medicine, questions can now be formulated around the issue of government regulations. With this, situations like the one illustrated in the novel Shock can be avoided.

Surrogate Motherhood: The Ethics of Using Human Beings
Thomas A. Shannon
New York
The Crossroad Publishing Company
1988; 191pgs
$25.95

The issue of surrogate motherhood has been one of the leading bioethical issues. It raises the question of the future of parenthood, the family, and the way we understand the welfare of children. Thomas A. Shannon in his book, Surrogate Motherhood: The Ethics of Using Human Beings, brings out the historical and scientific background behind surrogate motherhood. Shannon analyzes, with great care, the moral problems associated with the topic, and even provides readers with both a context in which to place the debate, and a number of very helpful moral recommendations about the future way in which our society might handle the issue. Shannon is able to take such a delicate topic, and handle it with great care. He brings together the medical, social, and legal implications of surrogacy.
Professor Thomas A. Shannon is a pioneer in the field of bioethics, and has participated in the Human Genome Project. He received the first grant to examine the relationship between religious issues and genetics. He is the author of more than 25 books, among them Made in Whose Image? Genetic Engineering and Christian Ethics, and has been a professor in the Department of Humanities and Arts since 1973. When writing the book Surrogate Motherhood: The Ethics of Using Human Beings, he was a professor of religion and social ethics in the department of humanities at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts.
The title of Shannon’s book suggests that he will argue against surrogate motherhood. “The ethics of using human beings” places humans as the victims. It implies that humans are being used, and the book will explore the ethics involved in that. Shannon is both a biochemist and a Roman Catholic, so his relationship with growing technology and religious tradition is a difficult one. In an interview with Vicki Sanders, Shannon describes the impact his religion plays on his views. He states,
I understand myself to be within the tradition. I do push it a lot and I'm trying to articulate the contemporary relationship between the growing edge of the tradition and science. It gets harder as time goes on. The questions are becoming more complicated, and science is developing so rapidly that the implications are not clear. It takes a long time to think this stuff through, and we don't have that luxury anymore. By the time you think about a new development, five more are coming along.
This places Sanders in the middle of his job and his views; with his books he attempts to build a bridge between the two. His books simply aid in raising questions, and string up debates around medicine and religion. This plays to Shannon intent in forcing his readers to be critical of the ethics involved in technology, and to think further into the matter than what’s provided by the media.
Surrogate Motherhood: The Ethics of Using Human Beings is Shannon’s answer to surrogacy. Although the book is able to play both side of the fence in the issue to surrogacy to a certain degree, the information in some essence is still biased. Shannon only scratches the surface of the evidence supporting surrogate motherhood, but gets in great detail with evidence going against it. All the arguments Shannon puts forth in the book constitutes a strong case against the practice of surrogacy. In fact the evidence simply leads up to Shannon’s conclusion,
The practice is inherently problematic from a practical and moral perspective. Its utilization continues the social disenfranchisement of women, puts the child at the risk of existing in a compromised social and familial context, and simply encourages the commodification of women and children. I can only conclude that the practice of surrogate motherhood should be prohibited.
This lack of information supporting the use of surrogate motherhood abets in establishing the book’s authority. The book, Shannon’s argue, is suppose to only stir up debate, and bring about questions in the minds of his readers, but it instead it looks to somewhat stamp truths in his readers mind. The book is very persuasive; in fact the line between opinions and facts is even blurred at times.
The author’s formal format really aids at setting the stage for the mindset of his audience. Shannon’s introduction takes readers through the “Baby M” case in which a surrogate mother fought to win custody of the child she carried and gave birth to. On February 3, 1988, the Supreme Court of New Jersey led by Chief Justice Robert Wilentz, invalidated surrogacy contracts as against public policy. The Supreme Court remanded the case to family court. On remand, family court awarded William Stern (the biological father) custody and Mary Whitehead (the surrogate mother) visitation rights. The court specifically addressed the issue of surrogates who were genetic parents, leaving open the question of whether gestational surrogates also had parental rights and whether gestational surrogacy also violated public policy. Shannon opens his book with this to get readers mind going, then explains the technologies involved in in-vitro fertilization.
Shannon’s titles this next section, “The Technologies of Surrogate Mothering” in this part of the book he goes over the medical aspect involved in the process of surrogacy. This section includes a lot of outside references ultimately playing to the legitimacy of the text. These references, in most cases, are examples and scenarios of the practice of in-vitro fertilization being performed. Shannon’s decision to incorporate this also broadens his audience. The inclusion of these scenarios makes the read easier. No longer is it jammed packed with huge medical terms that you normal reader wouldn’t comprehend, but examples are attached providing a mental visual of the act being performed. The following sections in Shannon’s book are titled, “Moral Analogues to Surrogate Mothering”, “Background Moral Issues”, “Specific Ethical Issues”, “The Regulation of Surrogate Motherhood” and “Conclusion”, respectively. Each section sets the stage for the next. It has this type of funnel affect; each section is broader than the previous, ultimately zooming in on the issue, and leading up to Shannon’s conclusion and feelings on the issue at hand.
Critics have already branded the surrogate motherhood enhancement with the same stigma as other medical reproductive technologies, such as cloning, and this book does just that. Shannon, in this book, is able to establish a great argument going against surrogacy. The book encourages readers to take another evaluation on their thoughts regarding the situation, playing to Shannon’s goal. All of Shannon’s books have this affect on readers. He aims at preserving his religious morals and tradition, and his books serve this. The advances in technology have now given us the capability to help those who are in need of fertility assistance. For whatever the case may be, every couple should be given the chance of producing their own baby of their very own genetics. Surrogate motherhood has enabled this to take place. Although Shannon’s book argues against this, the overall rating of the book is still an A. The book is able to take someone who was totally for surrogacy and open their eyes to the cons of the process. The book, although pushy at times with its views, accomplish its job of attempting to persuade readers to go against surrogacy. Every medical advance does have its price. Yet, when the overall outcome is more pleasing than the implications, it should be accepted. In the case of surrogacy intervention benefits the patient, but Shannon’s believes otherwise.

Comparison of the Novel, Monograph and Movie
Is infertility a common problem? The National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 12 percent of women in the United States alone, which is about 7.3 million, have had difficulties getting pregnant or carrying a baby in the recent year. This is quite a few number women unable to reproduce, so what’s left for them to do? Well in vitro fertilization is a process, of which eggs are fertilized by sperm outside the womb and then inserted into the womb. Artificial insemination is a process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating her. Surrogacy is a method of reproduction whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant and deliver a child for a contracted party. These reproductive techniques are solutions outside adoption for these 7.3 million American women. With advances in technology now they too can enjoy the life of motherhood. Due to the large dispute of whether or not these procedures are ethical, numerous works of literature have been created in order to promote awareness around the subject. In Robin Cook’s novel Shock, Thomas A. Shannon book’s Surrogate Motherhood: The Ethics of Using Human Beings, and Michael McCullers’s film Baby Mama, in-vitro fertilization and the issues around it are dissused.
In each of the works, in-vitro fertilization is shown in a different manner but proclaims the same message. In Shock, the main characters Deborah and Joanna are at the forefronts of in-vitro fertilization. They are the egg donors for a facility that conducts research as well as completes the in-vitro fertilization process for women. About a year after their donation, the girls develop a desire to learn what happened to their donation, which is the focus of this novel. However, because of the contracts Deborah and Joanna signed prior to their donation, the clinic would not provide them with the information of what happened to their eggs. As a result, the girls took it upon themselves to go on the quest to obtain the information about the in-vitro fertilization process. The novel exposes the indecency in the research involved in the process of developing the technology. Thomas Shannon approaches the process of in-vitro fertilization in a slightly different manner. In his book he takes readers through the ethics of the process of surrogacy. Although not directly attacking the process of in-vitro fertilization but the process of surrogate motherhood, he manages to proclaim his views on the situation. The movie Baby Mama, utilizes in-vitro fertilization through the process of surrogacy as well. The main character, Kate, failing numerous times to get pregnant on her own, decides to use a surrogate mother to have a child. The whole movie sheds light on the difficulties of Kate trying to develop a relationship with her baby’s surrogate mother, Angie. The movie with a unique twist was able to also incorporate the medical side of the process when Angie finds out that the in-vitro process might have not worked. In-vitro fertilization was the focus of each of the three works, all showing the cons of the situation.
American culture encompasses traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, arts, and innovation. It includes both conservative and liberal elements, scientific competitiveness, and political and legal structure. Cook in his novel is able to incorporate this sort of ‘americaness’ into his characters Deborah and Joanna. These two initially act on their ‘go getters’ attitudes to make come quick cash. The two earned $23,000 each for donating their egg, and left the clinic satisfied, so they think. Their engraved American values and ideals soon followed them, causing them to go on this wild goose hunt for the outcome of their eggs. They immediately hit a brick wall when their American values meet up with the American legal structure. The two signed a contract relieving them of any rights to the eggs. This didn’t stop the two from finding other means to proceed speaking to the strength in their values and beliefs. The fictional approach Cook took in his book is inaccurate in that the situation is extremely exaggerated. Cook proclaims in his novel that health clinics in no way are regulated, and that they undergo whatever it takes to make money and strides to the next big thing. Although this may in some sense be correct, it is in no way as extreme as Cook makes it.
Shannon takes a similar approach to Cook, in making his book follow that of the American Culture. Shannon looks as the issue of surrogacy though the lens of tradition and ethics. Shannon in his book goes through both the pros and cons involved in surrogate motherhood. He respects the ‘Americaness’ in the innovation of the process, but favors the American tradition. One way in which Shannon argues his case is through the American right to reproduce. Shannon claims that the right to reproduce does not include the right to have a child, therefore individuals may not claim that their right to reproduce has been violated if they obtain no child or if society does not come to their assistance by providing money or programs to help them utilize various birth technologies. Shannon here is manipulating the American legal structure to aid in his argument for American’s tradition. He believes that one shouldn’t intervene in the works of God.
Baby Mama strongly relates to American culture through the use of surrogacy. In today’s society, it is becoming widely acceptable for single women or gay and lesbian couples to have a child yet the only method for them to do so are through surrogacy or adoption. The movie drags it viewers through the process of surrogacy, illuminate a newly acquired American way of life. The storyline of the movie has several aspects that make the viewer aware that this movie has several fictional qualities. Despite how ill-equipped Angie clearly was to be a surrogate mom, the agency matched her up with Kate, speaking to the fictional qualities of the film. Perspective surrogates have to pass several tests in the fields of education, medical history and criminal history, and Angie would have most certainly failed these tests. Moreover, it was also unnatural that Kate did not recognize that Angie was faking the pregnancy of Kate’s baby. These many examples of the technology being inaccurate allow the story line to progress, without these elements he movie would be pretty short.
Writers create works of literature for various reasons. Some use it as a way to express themselves and others do it just for fun. The three writers involved the novel Shock, the book, Surrogate Motherhood and the movie, Baby Mama all write to communicate themselves to their intended audience. Richard Cook writes medical thrillers in order to increase interest of the medical field and make the public aware of the issues within . Shannon, similar to Cook, writes bioethical books to stir up debates around medicine and ethics. Michael McCullers writes for a completely different reason, to entertain. In an interview to pitch his screenplay of Baby Mama to Universal Picture Executives, McCullers explains that he wants to explore comedy by making a new genre that would entertain audiences and leave them rolling on the floor laughing . So although each writer creates their work for a different purpose, it led them all to write about the medical science of in-vitro fertilization. In-vitro fertilization is mentioned in all three of the works, whether it is at the forefront with the beginning stages of egg donations, or the process of surrogacy. All three works goes through the negative side of the process. Cook takes readers though the negative side of the medical use of the process, Shannon argues both legal and ethical side of the issue, and McCullers takes his viewers through the difficulties involved in establishing a relationship between surrogates and the intended mothers. Each work was enjoyable, each attacking a different part of the psyche. Weather to be funny or to teach, each author was able to raise awareness on the issue of reproductive technologies. Work Cited
Baby Mama. Directed by Michael McCullers. Performed by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. 2008.
"CDC - National Center for Health Statistics Homepage." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. .
Cook, Robin. Shock. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2001.
Earle, John. About Robin Cook. 1992. http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/robincook/bio.htm (accessed April 13, 2010).
"Robin Cook." Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19697.Robin_Cook (accessed April 14, 2010).

Sanders, Vicki. "WPI - Transformations: Thomas A. Shannon." Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Web. 16 Apr. 2010. .

Shannon, Thomas A. Surrogate Motherhood: the Ethics of Using Human Beings. New York: Crossroad, 1988. Print.

Stanworth, Michelle. Reproductive Technologies: Gender, Motherhood, and Medicine. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1987. Print.