Nobody's Child (29 page)

• Scott Rae and Dr. Joy Riley,
Outside the Womb: Moral Guidance for Assisted Reproduction
(Chicago: Moody, 2011). The leading resource of its kind on the ethics of assisted reproduction technologies (ART). As one endorser states,
“Outside the Womb
is a rare blend of scientific information, biblical guidance, and empathy for those struggling with infertility.”

• John Kilner, C. Christopher Hook, and Diann B. Uustal,
Cutting-Edge Bioethics: A Christian Exploration of Technologies and Trends
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002). This excellent reference text covers a broad array of bioethical dilemmas, medical technologies, and cultural issues.

• The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity (CBHD), Deer-field, Illinois. Located on the campus of Trinity University near Chicago, this organization is the leader for the debate and communication of bioethics issues. Their web-based newsletter provides weekly insights into news and cultural trends, and their website is populated with dozens of valuable resources. The CBHD annual conference in mid-July provides a remarkable insight into bioethics from a Christian worldview. Visit
www.cbhd.org.

• The Center for Bioethics and Culture (CBC) Network of San Ramon, California, has taken a strong stand on the international exploitation of women through egg donations. Learn more about what the fertility industry is
not
telling young women about the long-term health impact of egg harvests,
practices that CBC President Jennifer Lahl refers to as “the industry's dirty little secret.” Also, learn about the exploitation of at-risk women who are desperate for easy cash. The CBC video
Eggsploitation
can be obtained through their web link at
www.eggsploitation.com
and on their organizational web site at
www.cbc-network.org.

• The Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture, based in Brentwood, Tennessee, provides a monthly newsletter that showcases many bioethical issues in easy-to-understand format. Dr. Joy Riley provides insightful resources and a monthly column. Visit
www.tennesseecbc.org
.

• The Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) serves as the national voice for Christian doctors. Consult their website at
www.cmda.org
to learn more about resources and policy statements on issues of bioethics, and their extensive outreach through ministry and missions.

• The Nurses Christian Fellowship provides an international nexus for nurses to engage students, nurses, and patients with the good news of the gospel, and to bring God's love and healing to nurses and healthcare. Learn more about their ministry at
www.ncf-jcn.org
.

A detailed Reader's Guide, with discussion questions, biblical references, and additional research recommendations, is available on the author's website at
www.austinboyd.com
.

Follow regular postings about bioethics issues through the author's blog, hosted at
www.austinboyd.com/category/blog/
.

Email comments and questions to the author through his contact form at
www.austinboyd.com/contact-me/
.

I enjoy reading the acknowledgment page for any book, imagining all of the people who had a critical hand in bringing a manuscript to print. It's a labor of love, and a team effort … whatever the book happens to be.

For
Nobody's Child,
I owe a special debt of thanks to Zondervan and my senior editor, Ms. Sue Brower, a woman with the vision to communicate complex bioethics issues through the power of fiction. She grasped my “bioethics suspense” concept the first time we met, and she's been a joy to collaborate with for the past two years.

My agent is friend and mentor rolled into one; I am blessed by the wise counsel of Les Stobbe. Many authors owe their entry into the world of publishing to Les, and I am one. He's an amazing man, an active participant in the Christian publishing community.

Every ship has a rudder. Since the first concept for this novel was put to paper, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity (CBHD) has helped direct my course for this venture. In the early days of our first concept exploration, Mr. Matthew Eppinette was a dependable advisor at CBHD. When Matthew moved on to a new bioethics assignment, Dr. Michael Sleasman emerged as a key resource, supporting many calls and meetings where we discussed the leading reproductive issues of the day. CBHD Executive Director Ms. Paige Cunningham and her staff have supported my research, conducted early critiques
of the manuscript, and contributed immeasurably to the novel through their focus on the medical and emotional impact that egg donation has on women.

Other bioethicists have also played a major role in the formation of this novel. Ms. Jennifer Lahl, President of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network in San Ramon, California, and Dr. Joy Riley, Director of the Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture, were essential reviewers and contributors to the novel's direction. Dr. Peter Lawler of Berry College, Dr. M. Kelly Lynn of Huntsville, Alabama, and a dozen physicians unnamed here were all part of the research for this book.

A novel is a story, and if it's not told well, it's just boring prose. I am blessed with a wonderful editorial team of friends who help me improve my writing. Sue Brower, Lori Vanden Bosch, Bob Hudson, Steve “The Novel Doctor” Parolini, and Mary DeMuth each found things in my work that needed to be changed and helped me improve this manuscript for publication. These wonderful people are trusted mentors, and through their feedback I have become a better writer.

Alicia Mey, the Zondervan lead for marketing, Jennifer Baar, Zondervan's publicist, and Katie Broadus also deserve a special mention. Once a book is in print, they help you learn about it, and help me to get it into your hands. Thank you!

To my advance reader team, I sincerely appreciate your wise comments and keen insights: Karen Lynn, Dr. M. Kelly Lynn, Jennifer Frith, Roger Spencer, Pam Cassady, Riley Wallace, my sister Carolyn Boyd, my father Walker Boyd, my son Andrew, and my intuitive wife Cindy. Your support blessed me in many ways.

I write through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. If there's a bottom line in any acknowledgment for my books, it always goes to God. Thank you for placing me here, for a time such as this.

Nobody's Child
Copyright © 2011 by Austin W. Boyd

This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit
www.zondervan.com/ebooks

This title is also available in a Zondervan audio edition. Visit
www.zondervan.fm

Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Boyd, Austin, 1954–

   Nobody's child / Austin W. Boyd.

      p. cm. — (The Pandora Files)

   ISBN 978-0-310-32819-? (softcover)

   1. Birthmother — Fiction. 2. Mother and child — Fiction. 3. Human reproductive technology — Moral and ethical aspets — Fiction. 4. Ovum — Transplantation — Moral and ethical aspects — Fiction. 5. Bioethics — Fiction. 6. Domestic fiction. I. Title.

PS3602.O928N63 2011
813'.6— dc22   

2011012194

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the
Holy Bible: New International Version®.
NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Z. ondervan.

EPub Edition © JULY 2011 ISBN: 978-0-310-59892-3

Representation by the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency.

Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover photography: Caleb Rexius

Interior design: Michelle Espinoza

Editorial: Lori Vanden Bosch and Melissa Lowe

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 /DCI/ 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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