St Michael Society

Tag Archives: adoption

“I was conceived in a test tube”

June 24, 2010

A heartbreaking story ran today in the Daily Mail in the UK about the feelings of children conceived in a test tube with a sperm donor instead of through a loving union.

Again, like we wrote about this week, there are severe consequences of when a baby is conceived by other means rather than the natural union, preferably a marital one, of man and woman.

The UK story talks to a number of children conceived with the help of a sperm donor and a new study, the first of its kind, which reveals how sperm donor children feel about how they were conceived and how they view their lives now.

The study says that the children often feel confusion, isolation and hurt, even more so than those children who were adopted. Here’s a sample of what these children said of their conception:

“Adoption is very different – not only can you usually find your real parents, but also you don’t have to cope with the psychological effects of knowing you were conceived in a test tube. That’s unsettling and weird. Being a sperm donor child makes you question everything about your humanity. I can honestly say that no matter how desperate I might be for a child, I’d never use a sperm donor. I wouldn’t condemn any child to grow up as I did.”

“He’s my father, and I have no idea who he is. I think it would be easier if I was the product of a one-night stand – at least then there would have been a connection between two people.”

“My brother and I were told that we were conceived using donor sperm. We were shell-shocked, and it has affected me to this day…All that time I’d been growing up with an image in my head which was one big lie. That had a huge impact on me.”

“I’m not a scientific experiment, I’m a person, yet I don’t know half of my identity. I have my mum’s hair and eyes, but the rest of me is a mystery.”

Another thing to consider is that many times, a particular sperm donor donates more than once so it’s likely that these children have half-siblings that will never know. And what if they end up dating or marrying one of them? They may never know.

Add this to already long list of reasons why the Catholic Church forbids conceiving a child outside of a marital union.

Also tagged artificial insemination, babies, baby, catholic, children, ivf, kids, sperm donor – 1 Comment

Pregnancy Resource Centers Are Key to Women’s Health

October 1, 2009

Yesterday, the Family Research Council, in partnership with Care Net and Heartbeat International, released a first-ever-of-its-kind report on the accomplishments and roles of the thousands of Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs) in this country and abroad. A Passion to Serve highlights the vital services that these pregnancy centers have provided to communities across the country over the past 40 years. It’s a story that has yet to be told.

PRCs, or as they are also referred to – Crisis Pregnancy Centers, have been under attack for years by the liberals in Congress, Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities for seemingly giving out false information to women and their families about abortion, when in fact, PRCs are the only ones giving out complete information about abortion, including all of the mental and physical side effects included when a woman chooses abortion.

Dr. Sandy Christiansen, Member Christian Medical Association

PRCs care for the whole woman herself, and her baby, and don’t look at her as a paycheck. They are compassionate and provide an array services to help women in need – ultrasounds, STD testing and referral, counseling, parenting classes, material assistance to mothers and abortion recovery programs.

The joint report found that:

• 29 of every 30 people engaged in pregnancy work are volunteers.
• Nearly 700 PRCs are equipped with ultrasounds that deliver the service at little or no cost to the women.
• PRCs assist an average of 5,500 Americans daily with sexuality and pregnancy-related concerns.
• Parenting classes are offered at 70% of PRCs.
• PRCs provide medically referenced literature on prenatal development, STDs, and physical and physiological risks of abortion that have been reviewed by national-level experts in the fields of medicine, psychiatry and psychology.
• Option Line, Care Net’s national 24-7 pregnancy help line, averages 20,000 contacts per month and its website averages 800,000 to 1 million visitors per year.
• The centers raise at least $200 million a year, with more than 90% of those funds coming from private charitable giving.

Dr. Joxel Garcia, Former Assistant Secretary of Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services

The Family Research Council held a press conference and luncheon yesterday in Washington, D.C. to unveil the report. Putting a face on the work of the PRCs were 3 women in attendance with personal stories.

Shalaine, a 22-year-old, got pregnant unexpectedly and had heard about a crisis pregnancy center. She was encouraged to have an abortion by her boyfriend and family but received compassionate counseling at Pregnancy Centers of Central Virginia and once she saw the ultrasound, she decided to keep her baby boy, Gabriel.

Kendra was 19 when she became pregnant. She had her child and sought parenting classes from a local pregnancy center, one that saved the life of her niece when her sister unexpectedly became pregnant and needed support.

And Mallory, a sophomore in college with a smile that lit up the room, was conceived by rape. She was given up for adoption after her mother went to a pregnancy center, where she was counseled throughout her pregnancy and eventually was aided in finding an adoption agency.

Describing herself as a person of purpose, Hitt said she thinks she survived for a reason.

“I know there’s a reason why I made it through and I wasn’t aborted,” Hitt said.
-CNS News, 10/1/09