The unplanned finale of the Big Business of Buying Babies series.
After receiving many messages from listeners, I decided to explore the darkest sides of the fertility industry. And honestly, this was a very difficult one for me to get through.
In this episode, we explore real-life scenarios of the serial sperm donor of The Netherlands, implications of the frozen embryo crisis, moral and ethical issues like sex selection, what happens when the fertility clinic implants the “wrong” embryo, and who is really in charge of the gestational carrier’s body during a surrogate pregnancy ( spoiler alert: it’s not the woman carrying the baby), and what happens to unused embryos when one of the intended parents decides they no longer desire to procreate with their partner. The messy truth is revealed in court cases and judges’ rulings. Where should the line be drawn between access to human reproductive technology and the entitlement of fulfilling our desires to be parents? Is it morally reasonable to create the baby of your dreams?
Sources referenced in his episode:
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/same-sex-couple-sues-fertility-clinic-over-alleged-wrong-sex-embryo-implant/
https://nypost.com/2022/03/27/couple-sues-fertility-clinic-after-receiving-male-embryo/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12254637/Surrogate-claims-gay-dads-told-terminate-pregnancy-24-weeks-cancer-diagnosis.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92627&page=1
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/14/baby-gammys-twin-sister-stays-with-western-australian-couple-court-orders
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/features/nation-s-fertility-clinics-struggle-growing-number-abandoned-embryos-n1040806
https://www.elle.com/culture/a12445676/the-leftover-embryo-crisis/
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/us/california-judge-orders-frozen-embryos-destroyed.html#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20decision%20in,wife's%20right%20to%20use%20them.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/divorced-couple-fight-frozen-embryos-colorado-court/story?id=52270585
Sofia Vergara Still Ensnared In Legal Battle Over Frozen Embryos
https://nypost.com/2023/03/28/sperm-donor-who-fathered-550-kids-sued-over-incest-risk/
Eggsploitation documentary https://youtu.be/jAMrwAGR3GA
The Retrievals podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-retrievals/id1691599042?i=1000618732469
Bodies of Evidence: Unearthing Ireland’s Children of Shame
Beauty in the Brokenness
Generational Curses
Big Business of Buying Babies Part 2: Surrogacy and Fertility Tourism
Big Business of Buying Babies Part 1: Infertility and IVF
Under The Influence: Anatomy of a Cult
The Stir
The Gibbor Myth: Mighty or Tyrant?
And The Truth Shall Make You Free
Confessions of a Psycho Ex-Girlfriend
A Letter To The New Believer
Between Two Kingdoms: Gnostic Beliefs in Our Churches
The Duplicitous Doctrine of Demons
The Long Haul of It All
Check Yourself
In His Glory Part 2: Listener Testimonies
In His Glory: Listener Testimonies Part One
Fact, Fiction, or Fantasy: Lies We Believe About the Bible
Thank You, Providence: A Year in Faith
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