Teresa Erickson, with the MidIsland Racing Pigeon Racing Society

Life after the fertility business...


Racing pigeon recovering after losing way during race.


"The theory is a pigeon's homing instinct depends on the Earth's magnetic field," said Teresa Erickson, with the MidIsland Racing Pigeon Society. .

http://www.canada.com/

Thanks to Donor Diva -- on FertilityAuthority.com

The Donor Diva blogged:
"There is enough gray area in egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy. Now when these children get older, they could hear that they were conceived with the intent of being sold? I hope they don't have to deal with that. I know there are enough hurdles for donor-conceived children."

But I think the children conceived through this situation WILL hear they were conceived with the intent of being sold AND what everyone on the internet thinks of the Surrogacy Scandal (The Baby-Selling Ring) and has thought of all of Third Party Reproduction long before today.

Donor Diva also asks how will donors feel. And I know its supposed to be "my kids story to tell" as per many, many parents and experts before me have said (and given me lears and warnings about). I, too, have put myself out there emotionally publicly, to say that this is OUR story to tell. If I waited until my kids were old enough to decide for themselves how public they wanted to be then I would be wrestling with "the increasingly blurring lines between secrecy and privacy" (see women's dinner group Donor Mom Dinner Recap - Discussion on DE Parenting and Disclosure post from May 6, 2010, click over there on the right) and perpetuating "don't ask, don't tell" that keeps most of Third Party Reproduction more in the closet than out. Unfortunately, Donor Diva, I think this effects all of us.

I've lost friends on facebook and elsewhere over TPR. They can't be friends with me for fear of being outted just by association, even though I have tons of ways to know someone that easily covers up the donor-conception connection they think others will make of it. Of the hundreds of people I've met this way,on line,on the phone, in person, just a few stay in touch because the association is too risky or simply too much to bear.

Donor Diva,keep up the great work, help us get the message out and when you meet anyone who might be up for the challenge of getting out there with us, please let them know that life as a parent and family through TPR may in fact be harder, but that we are working to make it BETTER. And that we WILL succeed.

http://www.fertilityauthority.com/blogger/leigh/2011/08/19/surrogacy-scandal-baby-selling-ring

PVED SURVEY DESCRIBES LANGUAGE OF DONOR CONCEPTION - PVED - Open Salon

And more about the fertility industry, from Marna at Pved.

http://open.salon.com/blog/pved/2011/08/18/pved_survey_describes_language_of_donor_conception

Jean Benward, LCSW, Blogs at Theafa.org

See Jeans article as well as the statement released today by the co-chairs of The AFA.
http://www.theafa.org/blog/same-as-it-ever-was-a-history-of-exploitation-power-and-scandal/

Rachel Gurevich, About.com

A few good points on About.com regarding Surrogacy case.

http://infertility.about.com/b/2011/08/15/what-theresa-erickson-and-her-baby-selling-ring-scandal-say-about-surrogacy.htm

Pat Irwin Johnston: Another Perspective On The Baby Trafficking Scandal

Pat is the Founder and Publisher at Perspectives Press and a long-time advocate for all types of families and our children.She is also a wonderful and kind friend.

http://www.eggdonor.com/blog/2011/08/15/perspective-baby-trafficking-scandal/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eggdonor%2FHrVf+%28The+Spin+Doctor%29

S/Elective Reduction, ART, Surrogacy, and the News According to My Kids

I have not read the 341 comments written to the NYTimes in the 30 hrs since this article posted. It does tell you that people are very opinionated when it comes to pregnancy and fertility treatment, highlighting the distinction between having an abortion, making a heart breaking choice, and choosing reduction over having twins..

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/magazine/the-two-minus-one-pregnancy.html

No doubt, people are opinionated about how children are conceived as well as how they are raised, defining who they are raised by and what makes a family. I first thought the Theresa Erickson story this week was just inflammatory language that I am used to seeing in headlines about third party reproduction. Then I saw that it was a real news story but got quickly sidetracked before I really got to read the details. I figured she pled guilty to whatever she did wrong and that says something positive for whatever it's worth. Then I got a call in the middle of the night about what went on all week that I was in the dark about. I was not on vacation or living in a cave for the week, I just was not paying attention to the fertility world.

I'm not being cavalier about the situation, but I will leave it to the legal and ART experts to blog and comment on regulation, and what Theresa actually did wrong in all of the details. But someday I'm going to have to explain the juicy headlines on this topic and more to my kids.

Fear not, I have not discussed this one yet with my kids. But they did attend the workshop of The NYC Gathering that Theresa attended in June 2010. She and I were both written about by "Shark Tank Girl" the next day. I was a 2-time guest on Theresa's radio show, once about talking to my kids about their donor conception and the other about the film Eggsploitation (yes, I get the irony). I have been written about and written to by some pretty mean and angry people who have no regard for who I am or the well-being of my kids, and that's what I would like to talk about today.

One of my biggest worries about donor parenting, and I have yet to see the mental health professionals that I have come across so far be able to address this, is what will all this news do to my kids? For example, I was told when the Shark Tank Girl had written her piece about the workshop, to ignore it, it will go away. I don't believe bad press goes away. I have only seen one item posted to the internet that I couldnt find again, knowing that it was purposely taken down I could probably make a phone call to get it. Thats a different topic, just making the point that the internet is forever, there's no way around it.

I worry about how my kids will feel when they see that I was associated with this person-and I'm not even saying she's a bad person because I certainly dont know the whole story and will reserve judgement on the big picture of what went wrong for Theresa for a while, thats not what I'm writing about here, and I'm not even just talking about Theresa. I'm talking about the headlines in general, the spin, the opinions of people who never agreed with egg donation and surrogacy or even IVF in the first place. I'm talking about the people who will never again look at me or us as regular people just like them. What do you expect will be the effects among the kids who are the product of what other people perceive as unethical, taudry, commercial, commodified, exploitative, etc, what do you think will be the outcome of using those labels?

Criticism Of The Surrogates Caught Up In The Baby Selling Ring Is Unwarranted & Misplaced

http://www.eggdonor.com/blog/2011/08/12/criticism-surrogates-caught-baby-selling-ring-unwarranted-misplaced/

Made To Order Babies: When Reproductive Medicine Breaks the Law

As with anything Pam Madsen writes, this is also worth reading.

http://www.thefertilityadvocate.com/2011/08/made-to-order-babies-when-reproductive-medicine-is-breaks-the-law/

Also worth reading these commentaries regarding Theresa Erickson,Reproductive Law Attorney in the news this week.

The Stirrup-queens and Hannah Wept,Sarah Laughed.

Steven Snyder via Andrew Vorzimer (The Spin Doctor) Speaking about Reproductive Law Attorney Theresa Erickson.

Worth reading.
http://www.eggdonor.com/blog/author/admin/

DONOR DISCLOSURE 0N VOICE AMERICA 5.12.11

THERESA ERICKSON AND PATRICIA MENDELL ON DONOR DISCLOSURE ON VOICE AMERICA 5.12.11

Thought you might be interested in sharing the link to yesterday's radio show with your group members. Patricia Mendell provided lots of great information about the challenges of donor disclosure. As you probably know, she and Jean Benward wrote some excellent fact sheets on the subject for The AFA. 
 
Here is the link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/53763/the-surrogacy-lawyer-radio-program-discusses-to-disclose-or-not-to-disclose-the-challenges-of-gamete 
 

October 7 Voice America Show on Disclosure of Donor Origins to Children

Theresa Erickson,Conceptual Options, Ericksonlaw.com is hosting a radio show on Voice America. All shows are archived and there is an interesting and informative variety available and to be aired over the next several months.

On October 7th, I was a guest on the show to talk about The NYC Gathering and Disclosure of Donor Origins, along with Marna Gatlin of PVED.ORG and Megan Erickson, Theresa's Daughter.

Theresa hosted a great show and made my first public interview and radio experience (since the Sunday Morning Puzzle with Will Shortz and Leeann Hansen on NPR 20 yrs ago) both comfortable and enlightening.

Marna shared her insights and mission for PVED.org and has done tremendous work  supporting the families involved in egg donation and the on-going OPEN discussion she is creating in our community.

Thanks so much to Megan Erickson who shared a side of egg donation not often heard from and indeed one person who has so much to offer others and is willing to share it. Theresa, Megan and Marna-what great examples of what strong families can be.



http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=49165
http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vshow.aspx?sid=1767