Conception Misconceptions
I really don’t want to be writing about sperm again. Some won’t stop, however, and so I find myself once again turning to matters seminal to clear up some misconceptions about donor-conceived children.
Starting
So You Want to Get Pregnant . . .
Louise Sloan’s new book, Knock Yourself Up: No Man? No Problem: A Tell-All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom (Avery: 2007), is something of a novelty. It is perhaps the only parenting book by an out lesbian mom that is directed at a mixed audience, lesbian and not. While some books about single motherhood are
Does Marriage Lead to IVF?
“Mass. Gay Marriages Lead To Increase In IVF” proclaims the headline at 365gay.com. Since marriage equality became law in Massachusetts, more same-sex couples are using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create their families, they report. Samuel Pang, Medical Director of the Reproductive Science Center of New England, one of the largest such firms in the
HRC Launches Initiative for Foster Children
Today marks the launch of HRC’s All Children — All Families, initiative, “aimed at finding permanent families for foster children by promoting fairness for GLBT families.” They hope to do this by educating adoption and foster care agencies (public and private) about LGBT families, and conversely, by educating the LGBT community about foster and adoptive
The Sperm Wail
Sperm, as Helen and I have noted in several of our video blogs, is only the start of the lesbian-parenting journey (and isn’t part of the journey at all for adoptive parents). Choosing sperm is important while you’re doing it, and children may develop a natural curiosity about their donors, but most of us are
No Sperm for You
Right after the good news from Australia’s national elections comes the more worrisome news that the New South Wales upper house will likely approve legislation allowing reproductive donors “to demand their sperm or eggs only go to certain religious, ethnic or cultural groups or be reserved for heterosexual couples.” The bill would also require sperm
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode Four
In this special edition of our weekly video blog, brought to you in partnership with After Ellen, my partner Helen and I survey the world of lesbian moms on television, tackling such provocative questions as “Do Xena and Gabrielle count as lesbian moms?” “Should there be a lesbian-family version of The Brady Bunch?” and “Why
LGBT Activities for National Adoption Month
Two major LGBT organizations have launched initiatives in honor of National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day: The Family Equality Council (formerly the Family Pride Coalition) has launched an Adopt A Rainbow Action for November. Each rainbow you “adopt” is a pledge to volunteer one hour of time to a local/national fostering or adoption agency,
What Cost Parenthood?
How much does it cost for two moms to start a family? Nina at the Bilerico Project (and also publisher of Queercents) talks about her and her partner’s experience with in vitro fertilization (IVF), and the difficult questions they face as they get close to their last affordable attempt. Should they try donor eggs or
Arkansas Ban on Same-Sex Parenting Moves Ahead
Somehow this news slipped by last week, but it’s a frightening step towards banning same-sex couples from adopting or fostering children in Arkansas: Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel approved a ballot initiative proposed by the conservative Family Council to ban unmarried couples from adopting or becoming foster parents in the state. This is the second