Australian finance minister Penny Wong, the first openly gay member of the federal cabinet, announced that she and her partner are expecting a baby, a development with potential to affect the dynamics of the marriage equality debate. The Australian Associated Press reports that Wong’s partner Sophie Allouache is expected to give birth to the baby conceived through in vitro fertilization in December, around the same time the Australian Labor Party is scheduled to discuss marriage equality at its annual conference.
Many women, especially lesbian couples, choose to undergo the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) with the hopes of conceiving a happy, healthy baby boy or girl. IVF has been a huge contributor to lesbian couples getting pregnant for some time now since the "traditional" method of conceiving is generally out of the question in most cases. A new study has just been released that suggests that babies conceived via IVF have a possible 4 four percent chance of being born with a birth defect (such as heart and urogenital tract malformations).
Lesbian mom K. Pearson Brown gets on her soap box about pregnancy as a protected job status, among a host of other discriminatory practices and viewpoints reserved for pregnant women.
The case of a California mother pressured to give joint custody of her child to a sperm donor she met online illustrates the legal challenges facing families at the forefront of reproductive technologies.ABC News reports on the situation faced by Karen B., a Los Angeles writer who met her baby’s biological father on Craigslist and proceeded to make the kind of casual parenting agreement common between mothers and known sperm donors.
Resident lesbian Rosie O'Donnell unveiled her HBO documentary A Family is a Family is a Family: A Rosie O'Donnell Celebration about family diversity at a screening in New York City. The actress appeared with her ex, Kelli Carpenter, and their four children to reveal the documentary that showcases a wide range of families. A Family is a Family is a Family airs January 31.
CNN Radio recently reported on the heartbreaking story of Marie Wolfe, a lesbian in Michigan who is fighting her former partner for visitation rights to the couple's twin children.
Time to explain the ways of the world to your toddler? This book can help! The book, Where Did I Really Come From? provides, 'simple, non-judgmental explanations of assisted conception [DI, IVF], pregnancy, birth, surrogacy and adoption.' It also focuses on the needs of same-sex parented families.
