Today marks the birthday of Louise Brown, the world’s first “test-tube baby.” Her birth in 1978 heralded a new era of fertility services for many women, including lesbians. Helen and I conceived our own son this way, using my egg and her womb, so we bear a personal debt to Ms. Brown, her parents Lesley and John Brown, and their doctors, Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards. Thanks! You’ve helped create many happy families.
2 thoughts on “Happy Birthday, Louise Brown!”
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I’m all for test tube babies, but it must be weird to grow up and know that’s how you were conceived. I’d feel like a SciFi character if I knew that.
You know, I think 30 years ago it was. These days, I think it’s not so uncommon, both with lesbian and straight couples. The key, I think, is being honest with your kids once they start being curious, so that it’s not a big shock. Ultimately, the way you raise them means more than the way you conceived them, IMHO.