Conceiving Cuba offers an intimate look at how, with the island's political and economic future in question, reproduction has become the subject of public debates and private decisions. Drawing from several years of first-hand observations and interviews, anthropologist Elise Andaya takes us inside Cuba's households and medical systems.

For Cuba's supporters, health is the most commonly cited evidence of the socialist system's success. The author finds that Cuba possesses an unusually high level of popular participation and cooperation in the implementation of health policy. This has been achieved with the help of a longstanding government that prioritizes public health, and has enough political influence to compel the rest of the community to do the same. On the other hand, popular participation in decision-making regarding health policy is minimal, which contrasts with the image of popular participation often promoted. The sustainability and progress of its achievements must involve open recognition and public discussion of weaker aspects of the health system.