HeyReprotech's January roundup

Read, watch, listen, attend, participate...

Reads

Bailey Schulz. "IVF may be tax deductible, but LGTBQ+ couples less likely to get write-offs." USA Today. 29 Jan 2024.

Hannah Tomes. "The Scottish government’s bizarre egg donor drive." The Spectator. 27 Jan 2024.

Amber O'Connor. "Why is France giving out fertility tests to women in their twenties?" Cosmopolitan. 24 Jan 2024.

Jennifer George. "The True Cost of Fertility." Elle. 22 Jan 2024.

Olivia Morel. "I was born via surrogate... but from Day One there was no bond with my mother and my childhood was unhappy. That's why I believe so strongly that this cruel and immoral practice should be banned." Daily Mail. 11 Jan 2024.

Katti Gray."'Our son was eight years in the making': 11 women on getting through the marathon of infertility." The Guardian. 12 Dec 2023.

Megan Molteni. "New gene therapies confront many sickle cell patients with an impossible choice: a cure or fertility." STAT. 06 Dec 2023.

Anna North. "You can’t even pay people to have more kids." Vox. 27 Nov 2023.

Grace Glassman. "The Train Wrecked in Slow Motion: I gave birth at 45. It was a miracle that almost cost me everything." Slate. 26 Nov 2023.

Watches

"Born from the Same Stranger." ITV.

Reviews:

Emily Watkins. "Born From the Same Stranger review: ITV series is about family – not DNA results." Inews. 22 Jan 2024.

Rebecca Nicholson. "Born from the Same Stranger review – lovely, warm … and an ethical minefield." The Guardian. 22 Jan 2024.

Jake Penkethman. "NOT FAIR? So irresponsible!’ rage Born From The Same Stranger viewers as they slam ‘grotesque’ hunt for sperm donors." The Sun. 23 Jan 2024.

"Men up." BBC One.

Reviews:

Nick Hilton. "Men Up review: Viagra drama is a sweet tale of bonding in the face of shared misfortune." The Independent. 30 Dec 2023.

Lucy Mangan. "Men Up review – a TV masterpiece about the very first men to take Viagra." The Guardian. 29 Dec 2023.

Listens

Connie McLaughlin. Mornings, Radio Scotland. (go to 2:36:07 - 2:59:40)

(about Scotland's controversial egg donor recruitment campaign)

Helen Gibson, founder of Surrogacy Concern said:

"Our concern about this is the societal risks to all women if eggs and embryos can be seen to become something that the public are entitled to, and that the state starts to see as a resource that they can harvest... and distribute amongst the public... It creates far too dystopian an attitude of entitlement to women's body parts."

"Fertility Treatment for Single People: Who Should Pay?" Progress Educational Trust podcast.

Rob Stein. "Infertile people, gay and trans couples yearn for progress on lab-made eggs and sperm." NPR. 12 Dec 2023.

Events

07 Feb - De Montfort University Centre for Reproduction Research in-person seminar -  Preparing for Genomic Futures

07 Feb - Progress Educational Trust's free online event - How Should We Score the HFEA's New Ratings System?

01 Mar 2024 - British Sociological Association's Human Reproduction and Families and Relationships Study Groups in-person workshop - Personal Relationships and Reproductive Technologies

13 Apr - one-day in-person event by Donor Conception Network for people thinking about using donor sperm or eggs - Getting Started

25-28 Apr - in-person conference uniting adoption, assisted reproduction and NPE communities - Untangling Our Roots Summit

26 Apr - University of Warwick Department of Sociology conference - Radical Mothering in Europe: Everyday Forms of Resistance

26 Apr - Donor Conception Network online workshop for professionals - Making It Real

Studies

University College London - Survey about long-term health of men affected by fertility problems

Universite du Quebec en Outaouais - Experience of sperm or egg donors who have been contacted by a donor offspring

Queen Mary, University of London - Fertility care access

University of Ottawa - Surrogacy laws in Canada: Exploring intended parents' experiences and perspectives

University of Kent - Egg freezing for social reasons

Toronto Metropolitan University and University of Waterloo - Elective egg freezing in Canada: Towards appropriate legislation governing consent

Leeds Beckett University - The online sperm donation project

University of Birmingham - Survey of LGBTQ+ parents