Big Business of Buying Babies part 3: Unforeseen Consequences
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
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