I’d never heard of Mason Andrews before reading of his death this past week, but without him, my son might not exist. No, he’s not our sperm donor—he’s the doctor who performed the first in vitro fertilization in the U. S. Although conservative activists tried to stop him from attempting the procedure, his privately funded […]
The San Francisco Chronicle has a great article on Gregory Stewart and Stillman White and their five adopted children. It’s a wonderful family portrait, showing the usual parenting issues the two face as well as the extras—being gay parents, adoptive parents, parents to at-risk children, and white parents to children of color. Bonus points to
Before You Were Born: Our Wish for a Baby is a book series by registered nurse Janice Grimes, who works in an IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinic and is an IVF mom herself. The series is intended to help parents explain genetic origins to children conceived by assisted reproduction. Each of the sixteen volumes explains
To pique your interest in the online chat with sociologist Rosanna Hertz I’m hosting tomorrow night, I wanted to share some statistics she sent me about the changing shape of the American family. Less than 25% of all families consist of a married, opposite-sex couple living with their own (biological or adopted) children—down from 40%
Reuters today has a feature titled “U. S. Gay Couples Struggle to Adopt.” There’s probably nothing there that would surprise most readers of this blog, but it’s notable that this is getting mainstream coverage. There are some good quotes from same-sex parents as well as a reminder that only ten states in the U. S.
Preeclampsia is a sudden complication of pregnancy that can be deadly for both mother and baby. Researchers at the U. S. National Institutes of Health have announced new findings that offer hope for earlier detection and possibly a cure. They say women with preeclampsia have high levels of two blood proteins several months before they
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS), a test for birth defects, carries the same risk as the more commonly used amniocentesis, a new study has shown. Doctors previously thought its risk to be greater. Women can undergo CVS about six weeks earlier than amniocentesis, at 10 to 12 weeks gestation, so these findings, if confirmed, will be
Last week, researchers announced the discovery of a genetic variant that may help identify women at higher risk of having premature births. This would allow doctors to take appropriate measures to minimize the risk. The scientists also found that African-American babies were three times more likely than those of European descent to carry this genetic
San Francisco Catholic Charities (SFCC) has followed an earlier move by Boston Catholic Charities and shut down their adoption services, so they don’t have to place children with lesbian and gay couples. Unlike their East Coast counterparts, however, they will partner with another agency, California Kids Connection, to which they will refer prospective adoptive parents,
Last night on Workout, fitness trainer Jackie Warner explored the idea of harvesting and freezing her eggs. She and her girlfriend Mimi discussed the possibility of someday having a family, with Mimi carrying embryos created from Jackie’s eggs. It’s great to see a portrayal of lesbian procreation that doesn’t focus on “wacky escapades to obtain
