Should surrogacy be allowed? What guidelines are needed to control in vitro fertilization programmes? What should we tell the children born in the wake of the ’reproduction revolution’ about their origins? These are typical of the many issues addressed in a book which seeks to challenge the ethical basis for much of the legal regulation of matters surrounding birth. First published in hardback in spring 1989, Birthrights deals with a controversial area which continues to be at the centre of much public debate. The editors’ new preface, especially written for the paperback edition, surveys important developments in legislation since the book’s first publication.