Monday, September 21, 2009

Lots of updates in the DC community

Hello everyone!!  I'm terribly sorry for being so absent the past few months.  Life has been really hectic around here.....my last semester of graduate school is underway, I'm still nannying for my lil boy, and I have 3 other regular babysitting jobs (one on Wednesday evenings for 15 kids!!!!).  I've also been doing my practicum at CWRU's Cleveland Health Sciences Library, which has been going well and I'm learning a lot!!  

Needless to say, I've been somewhat negligent on my postings here.  I will try to post several times a month, but as always I can't promise it for sure!

So.......lots has been happening in the world of donor conception!!  I only have time to touch on a few things here.

Mainly, a law professor named Julie Shapiro has had a lot to say about donor conceived persons fight against anonymity, and in particular the term "donor".  She does not understand how such a term is offensive to DC adults.  Please see her blog here.  The post Anonymous Donors And What To Do About Them has sparked an incredible debate and discussion, and she has followed up with several other posts with regards to this first one.  Adoptees and DC adults PLEASE voice your opinions!!!  This is probably the most important comment Julie makes:
What I don't quite understand is why it follows that the label "donor" is unacceptable.  But accepting that it is, would "progenitor" or "forebear" (if that's how you spell it) be better?  I would be content with either of those.
If neither of those work does it have to include the word "father" and if so, why?
This begins an entire debate on the legal versus social definitions in donor conception, and how these definitions, whether we like it or not, are what is keeping us from our goals.  What is the definition of a parent, of marriage, of father and mother.  And it's not only the literal definitions, but how these definitions are defined and refined by different interests.


This is all I have time to update on right now, but please go to Julie Shapiro's blog and post comments!!

No comments: