I have watched and listened as the War on Women has assaulted the right of every woman in the United States to a safe, medical abortion. We’ve all heard the rhetoric. We’ve read the horror stories from before abortion was legal – and yes, it touched my family, too. I lost a great-aunt to an illegal abortion long before I was ever born. From what my mom said about her, I would have liked Aunt Barbie. I heard the horror stories first hand from Mom – she was a registered nurse, and worked emergency rooms before Roe V. Wade. She made me understand why, when abortion doctors had targets printed on their backs, the ones who hung in there were the old ones, the ones who had tried desperately to save women dying from botched abortions before it was legal. They knew that if safe medical abortions were outlawed again, the abortions wouldn’t stop; they would go back to killing women.

What I haven’t read about is the other side of choice. Not the absence of choice, with women dying or struggling to support and raise children they hadn’t planned on or wanted. No, the other side, where the answer was yes, I want this child.

My daughter, who is now 34 years old, knows that I contemplated an abortion. I was single, alone, her father wanted me to have one… we were both scared. She knows that instead, I chose to have her. She knows that while her conception was unplanned, her birth was a choice I made. Leaving when she was six months old was the choice her father made, even after being there for her birth. He was only 20, and still scared. I had a family that was willing to help me. My daughter and I were both lucky that way. She is the best and most precious thing I ever did with my life.

I have a daughter of my heart, Steph, who faced the same choice not once, but twice. The first time was with her high school sweetheart. They were engaged, so the choice was to have the baby. They stayed together for a time after Sebastian was born, but then he split. The second time was a few years later, with a man who had loved her from afar for years. They had just started dating when the birth control failed. His response to her “I’m pregnant” was unalloyed joy. They’re married now, with Logan and their youngest, a girl named Morrigan, and soon he’ll be adopting her first son. If they don’t know already, then someday both those boys will know that they were chosen, that their mom wanted them.

Then there’s my grandson. He wasn’t planned, by a long shot. His folks were another loved-from-afar, finally got together, forgot the condom, oops. There was the first knee-jerk thought of abortion on his dad’s part, but that didn’t last long. He was told in no uncertain terms by both the mom and me that while he was welcome to stick around, he could leave if he wanted, but we were going to have the baby. You see, she’d been told that her chances of ever getting pregnant were astronomical, so she was stunned when it happened… and then she was so grateful to a compassionate goddess for this incredible gift. No way was she going to choose to abort it.

Dad stayed. He is now thoroughly in love with his son, as well as my daughter. Felix is seven months old, and an amazingly happy and loved child.

That is what each of these children will know, or know now. They are loved, in a very special way. They weren’t planned, but they were chosen. Their mothers, and sometimes their fathers, chose to have them, chose to keep them, chose to love them.

What a beautiful thing to know about one’s self. Every child should know that they are here because their parents chose to have them, either as a planned child or a chosen unplanned.

What a horrible thing to learn, that the only reason you are here is because your mother had no choice… and that you were never wanted.

Related articles

• Reflection on Birthing and Reproductive Choice(thepassionatemoderate.com)

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• The X Case 20 Years Later, and Why I’m Pro-Choice(auroralapetite.wordpress.com)

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Marni Kotak

Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time I take the attitude that I may not like a piece of art, but the artist has a right to create it. I just found one of those zero point one percenters.

 All my maternal instincts want to scream ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR PUNY MIND??????

 Brooklyn, New York, performance artist Marni Kotak has decided to give birth at the Microscope Gallery in the Bushwick neighborhood in front of a live audience. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EGOTISTICAL MIND?????

 Kotak explained to the New York Post, “I hope that people will see that human life itself is the most profound work of art, and that therefore giving birth, the greatest expression of life, is the highest form of art. I have decided to do this because I want to show people that, as in my previous performances, real life is the best performance art.”

 She is. She’s out of her self-centered, self-absorbed mind. And her “good support team” is even more so. The support team consists of her midwife, doula (a birthing professional who is not trained to deliver the baby) and husband. “Of course,” Kotak said, “I am a bit nervous about the whole process of giving birth and having a child, and like every mother, I am a bit nervous about the whole process of giving birth and having a child and like every mother, I am hoping that everything goes smoothly.”

 No, lady, not like every mother. Most mothers care more about the safety and atmosphere created for their baby than they do about getting a round of applause or making an “artistic” statement. When that baby is finally ready to be born (a date Kotak is apparently not terribly sure about), that fragile, precious, tiny infant will be forced out of a dark, warm, enfolding, snug, secure little space, painfully, crushingly pushed through a barely flexible hole and dumped into a cold, bright, noisy space that scares the crap out of him or her. He/she will be forced to suddenly give up floating and absorbing and have to suck air into virgin lungs. He/she will have someone’s finger shoved in his/her mouth to clear the airway – some strange, vinyl-tasting thing fishing around his/her tongue. Being born is traumatic. It hurts. It’s scary. It’s terrifying.

 And this “artist” wants to add the sights, sounds and smells of an audience to this, wants to do this in a wide-open space with god knows what for a heating system and ventilation, wants to subject this precious life to whatever germs that audience is carrying, or perfumes they are wearing. I don’t care if they hand out face masks to everyone and insist that everyone refrain from wearing scents. Americans are never without multiple perfumes – shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, laundry detergent, fabric softener all on top of the scents of the fabrics and materials that shoes are made of. We are the smelliest people on earth. It doesn’t matter if the audience doesn’t breathe on the baby, they are giving off germs just standing still. They are shedding skin cells and hair dander and dirt from the outside world.  And speaking of the outside world — how far is this gallery from any elevated trains?  Is there anything within shared-air distance that qualifies as a polluting industry?  What kind of art has been displayed in the gallery and did it involve any hazardous materials like paint remover? 

 ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND?????

 Kotak could rig up some giant TV screens and use a closed circuit system if she really want to share her screaming and grunting and expulsion of bodily fluids and sweat and pain with an audience, but for the baby’s sake, she should give birth in a warm, small, quiet space. That child isn’t a prop for an art performance. That child is a living human being who during delivery and afterwards has needs that far exceed Kotak’s artistic vision.

 The midwife and doula should have their licenses revoked for agreeing to put an newborn in such a potentially hazardous situation and the parents….frankly, there are thousands of childless couples in this country who would do anything to have that baby and who certainly deserve him or her far more than a selfish fool and her equally foolish husband. This is as much a case of child abuse as beating a kid with a stick.

Related articles

• Performance artist Marni Kotak to give birth in gallery (100gf.wordpress.com)
• Performance Artist to Give Birth Live (newser.com)
• Performance Artist Invites You to Watch Her Give Birth [Art] (jezebel.com)

Image via Wikipedia

08/09/11 by LGR World News Staff

Australia’s first openly gay federal cabinet member, Finance Minister Penny Wong, has announced that she and her partner are expecting a baby.

According to the Australian Associated Press, Wong released a statement on Tuesday revealing her long-term partner Sophie Allouache is expecting.

“Like any expecting parents, the prospect of welcoming this child into our lives fills us both with joy,” she said.

“We are extremely grateful to our IVF service and staff, and to our donor, for giving us the opportunity to raise a child together.

Wong added she had gone public with the pregnancy because  “as we understand there may be public interest due to my position.”

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who has in the past said she believes that marriage should be limited to unions between men and women only and who has bucked her own Labour party to oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia, nevertheless, congratulated the Wong and her partner.

“I’m very pleased for Penny and her partner Sophie as they look forward to a new baby and the next phase of their lives,” Gillard told reporters in Canberra.

However, when was pressed on whether it bothered her that the child would have parents who could not marry under Australian law Gillard said, “Clearly there are strong views about same-sex marriage in the community, and we’ll have a debate at national conference about those strongly held views. I’ve made my views clear”.

Pressure has been building on Gillard, who is unmarried, but lives with her male partner in the prime minister’s official residence in Canberra, to get in step with many in her party who want the law changed.

A policy change will be voted on at the Labour Party’s annual national conference in December.

Related articles

• IVF baby joy for Penny Wong (heraldsun.com.au)
• Wong pregnancy sparks gay marriage debate (news.theage.com.au)
• Senator’s joy and nerves on baby role (theage.com.au)

Northern Ireland's Gerry Adams

I’ve always said I don’t do LGBT stories, but there are times when the history in my field relates to the present in the LGBT community. So, another observation from the straight lady on the Lesbian blog……

One of the most important figures in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations was internationally recognized activist Gerry Adams. He was a hero of the cause of Irish Catholic equality. We all knew and ignored the fact that he had been an IRA terrorist with blood on his hands. We tunneled our vision to see the politician. But for years, the negotiations went nowhere. No one would give a single effing bloody inch.

Then, one morning, Gerry woke up and had an epiphany – he could have a life after the conflict. He did not have to live his whole life defined as a warrior. He could have a fulfilling life without the battle. That day, the nature of the negotiations changed. That epiphany made peace possible. Gerry brought his wife home from her 18 year protective exile. They quickly had a little girl in addition to the son they had before they separated for so many years. He has built a good life since the peace accord, a fulfilling life.

There can be life after the conflict. The battle does not have be a person’s whole identity. Only when the warriors realize that, can they do two things – fight to win and fight to make peace.

There has been virtually no reaction from the major LGBT groups about the amendment passed in Minnesota. Aside from MSNBC, where is the outrage? When the legal challenge to Georgia’s same-sex-marriage-banning amendment failed in the state supreme court, why wasn’t it taken to the Federal courts? The Georgia constitution clearly states an amendment can have only one clause. The same sex marriage ban had two. That’s about as legally simple as it ever gets. It’s freaking rare that a legal issue is that simple. Over and over, the battles never go far enough, or they appear, to anyone who actually knows the Constitution, to be conducted on the wrong battlefield.

In Oklahoma, the anti-Sharia amendment is being challenged in Federal court on the grounds that it is a backdoor establishment of a state religion. Any law that forbids religious worship has in effect stated that only one form of religion is acceptable. That is the proper grounds for fighting anti-gay and anti-abortion laws. They are based in religious belief, not in science or civil secular law principles. According to the non-establishment clause of the First Amendment, we should not be allowing clergy to have the right to certify the civil contract of marriage. It grants civil legal power to clergy. So why aren’t the legal challenges to those laws being fought on those grounds? Why are we bothering with the vague parameters of civil rights when we have the clear, indisputable First Amendment? Why are setbacks accepted so calmly?

There is a growing feeling in some parts of the LGBT grassroots that those big, moneyed groups that are supposed to be fighting for LGBT rights don’t really have their hearts in it. It is beginning to be believed that they are stalling and procrastinating because they can’t see how they could ever earn as good a living doing anything else. It’s a nasty, catty thing to rumor, but it has an unfortunate basis in evidence. What have they done for you lately? Not bloody much.

Do you remember in May of 1990, when Doonesbury comic strip character Andy Lippincott died of AIDS in his earthquake-damaged apartment as the Beach Boys “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” played in the background? The song is so relevant to the battle for same sex marriage rights. The moment was so poignant, so pure in its expression of the hope for equality. “Wouldn’t it be nice if WE….” That was 21 years ago this month. Twenty-one years have been spent giving money to lobbyists, giving money to legal experts, and falling farther and farther away from the goals. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’s elimination is still being held up by fanatical anti-gays in Congress. Those same fanatics want to use taxpayers’ money to hire an outside law firm to defend the indefensible in DOMA. We are losing ground to the religious rightwingnuts every day, both on gay rights issues and women’s rights issues.

If you can imagine how nice it would be if you were equal, if you can see a future without the conflict, with the battles won, with all men and women free and equal and able to determine their own futures, then you should be the one leading the charge, not a bunch of overpaid “activists” who can’t imagine that they could have fulfilling lives without that identity of “activist.”

Related articles

• Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Anti-LGBT Marriage Amendment in North Carolina (hrcbackstory.org)
• Minnesota House Passes Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment (lezgetreal.com)
• New HRC Poll Shows Majority of Christians Support LGBT Equality (hrcbackstory.org)
• Equality NC’s faith leaders press conference challenges anti-gay lawmakers, counters fundie rally (pamshouseblend.com)
• As Anti-Marriage Group Wants ‘Adult’ Debate, Senator Frankin Expresses Dismay Over Minnesota Vote (lezgetreal.com)
• Minnesota Marriage Battle Begins (advocate.com)
• Poll: Christians Support LGBT Equality (advocate.com)

Aoibheann Sweeney, gave birth as her partner helped while on the way to the hospital in New York city. The birth happened last week in Manhattan’s Theater District – does that mean the kid will love the theater?

The Two Mommies

Sweeney’s partner, Inez Murray, was on the phone with 911, but help did not, so the cab driver pulled over and they both coached Sweeney through the delivery process.

“I thought we have no choice here but to tell her to push. She pushed, one big push and his head came out like a cork and his air, whatever happens to your lungs, he gasped and I thought at least he’s breathing – he looked blue and green. I was quite worried, and then one more push and he came out,” World News reported.

The couple’s baby boy was ushered into this world, in sound health surrounded by an onslaught of onlookers that gathered on the NYC streets.  Soon after, both the police and a ambulance showed up, the baby chord was quickly cut and the family was soon on their way to the hospital.

The newborn also received official swag from the NYC police department, once the family made it to the hospital safely.

Related articles

• Moms Deliver Baby in NYC Cab (advocate.com)
• Brooklyn Woman Even Sweeney Gives Birth In Taxi En Route To Hospital (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Baby boy born in livery cab backseat (nydailynews.com)

Image by lez get real via Flickr

04/26/2011 – by Cynthia S. Wright

Some days, it is hard to glean whether 700 Club host Pat Robertson even knows where he is. In a recent episode, he mentioned why he feels liberals support abortion.

He believes that liberals only support abortion is because if straight women abort their babies, they are on the same level as lesbians because – in his mind – lesbians can’t have children. So by doing that, they cancel each other out – level field for all!

Not sure what meds Robertson’s doc’s have him on as of late, if he isn’t taking anything – well, not sure how to take this recent “revelation”.

Are you saying that since lesbians don’t have sex with men, that means we aren’t able to have children? How about straight couples that are trying to have kids but for whatever reason, they aren’t able to conceive? Are you hinting that straight women that do get knocked and decide to abort are supported by liberals because they want everyone to feel equal? It isn’t about the woman choosing to not have the child or to be pregnant?

How does that even make sense? Lesbians do have children, some use the same methods that infertile straight couples use – the babies are planned and are wanted. We are not denied childbirth – the only thing we are denied is the ability to accidentally get pregnant – two totally different things. Sorry to break it to you Robertson, at the end of the day it is about choice. Liberals choose to support a woman’s right to choose, a lady chooses to have an abortion, and lesbian parents choose to become pregnant and have children.

The arrest today of alleged accessory in the Lisa Miller abduction case renders a complaint with a bevy of names and revelations that can only serve to shock – how people are willing to risk defying the law of our Country in the name of religious anti-gay dogma.  What we suspected has in fact come to light and can be noted from the Complaint in the case of the Abduction of Isabella Miller.

Lisa Miller absconded in defiance of a Custody Order, abducting the child Isabella. It has been years since her non-biological mother, who has custody via the US Courts, has been able to see her daughter.  Had Lisa Miller the biological non custodial mother allowed jenkins visitation/ shared custody – none of this would have happened. It was that simple.  Instead with the help of the  ex-gay movement and right wing Christian groups around her, Miller was provided with the ability to abscond the USA – to abduct Isabella – in essence depriving her other lawful parent of her rights – Miller could not have done it alone.

The person arrested in the case is one, Timothy Miller, no relation to Lisa Miller, – read the complaint below.

Reading back on LGR’s articles over the past years on the case one notes the challenges LGR made to the Groups we believed were involved.

The FBI has done an amazing job of keeping on this case , in their determination to seek justice for Janet  Jenkins and the child Isabella.  The imperative of holding ALL people responsible to uphold the law of our Country cannot diminish because of someone having a separate religious ideology.   This shows that not even super wealthy right wing evangelical Christian Ministries will get away with crimes such as this.

Names, via emails and evidence indicated in the Complaint is extensive  – e.g.
“a. Philip Zodhiates is a wealthy man and a “Liberty Leader” who has a beach
house in Nicaragua. Lisa Miller and Isabella Miller have been staying at the home of Zodhiates.
b. Victoria Hyden is the daughter of Zodhiates. Zodhiates asked Hyden to
disseminate a request to get Lisa Miller supplies.”

THE  ARREST   As it broke has been reported by LGR here -

http://lezgetreal.com/2011/04/arrest-made-in-abduction-of-isabella-miller-by-lisa-miller/comment-page-1/#comment-157004

It seems the connection to Miller being in Managua – via other countries is explained in the detailed complaint below.

THE COMPLAINT

I am a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBn. I have been a
Special Agent since October of2008. I am currently assigned to the Burlington, Vermont Resident Agency. 2. The facts in this affidavit come from my personal observations, my training and experience, information obtained by other law enforcement officials and witnesses, and court documentation. This affidavit is intended to show merely that there is sufficient probable cause for the requested criminal complaint and arrest warrant and does not set forth all of my knowledge about this matter.    3. Based on my training and experience and the facts as set forth in this affidavit, there is probable cause to believe that Timothy David Miller has violated 18 U.S.C. §§ 1204, 2; aiding in   international parental kidnapping of minor Isabella Ruth Miller-Jenkins (IMJ) by Lisa Miller and  other unknown persons. This crime involved removing a child from the United States on or about September 22, 2009, and retaining a child who has been in the United States, outside of the United States from September 2009 to the present, with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights by Janet Jenkins. I have reason to believe that Timothy Miller violated 18 U.S.C. §§ 1204, 2 in that: a. Timothy Miller had knowledge of the parental rights litigation in the United States involving Lisa Miller and regarding IMJ.

FULL DOC Below…

Miller Jenkins Criminal Complaint

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
Facebook Melanie
twitter @oblogdeeoblogda

According to CNN - Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband wants his 94-year-old wife to become a mother again using an egg donor, artificial insemination and a surrogate mother, Prince Frederic von Anhalt told CNN Thursday.  “I’ve gone through the initial steps of donor matching and blood work and next week the donation process will begin,” von Anhalt said.

Gabor’s only child, Francesca Hilton, described herself as shocked when told of the plan Thursday. “That’s just weird,” Hilton said.

Von Anhalt, 67, said he is working with Dr. Mark Surry of the Southern California Reproductive Center in Beverly Hills. CNN calls to the center have not been returned. Gabor has suffered major health problems in the last year, including hip replacement surgery and a leg amputation. She has been unable to walk since a 2002 car accident.

“I’m a retired guy,” von Anhalt said. “I can take care of it.” -  IT – take care of IT – the THING, THE baby or the Deal?

Gabor talked about adding a new baby to the family when they got married 25 years ago, and she brought the topic up again in recent months, he said.

Gabor is not foreign to denying age and reality. Some years back my cousin was fired from a project -  styling Gabor for the cover of Vogue – way back in the 1980′s.  Gabor gave Cuz her clothing size for the shoot.  When Cuz showed up – to her horror she found that Gabor had significantly  underestimated her own size.   Was there also not a story to do with slapping a cop when stopped for a traffic violations with age dishonesty on driver’s license?

One reason is their desire to have someone carry on the famous Gabor name. None of her two sisters left an heir and her only child does not use the Gabor name, von Anhalt said.  Ahuh good reason to have a BABY – with senile and footless parents. Nice -  Interesting that BABY Gabor will not take in Daddy Gabor’s famous name! The Prince of whatever – does he have an heir or is this a one sided deal.

Francesca Hilton, 64, is Gabor’s only child, the product of her second marriage to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton.  She told CNN that her full name is Constance Francesca Gabor Hilton.

The process, which includes finding an egg donor and a surrogate mother to give birth to the baby, will cost about $100,000, von Anhalt estimated. The prince, who acquired his royal title when he was adopted as an adult by a German woman, is Gabor’s ninth husband. AH he is NOT a real Prince! or not a blood one anyway.

He has complained in recent months about financial burdens caused by his wife’s hospitalizations. While he put their Bel Air, California mansion up for sale earlier this year, he said he is not actively marketing it. “In life you need something to live for,” he said. “If my wife passes away before me, I have nothing to live for.”  Good excuse-  bring on the baby an infant an infant….

The Hungarian-born actress, famous for films a million years ago – No not T-Rex survives the Civil War – Her more prominent films include John Huston’s Toulouse-Lautrec biopic, “Moulin Rouge,” in 1952, “The Story of Three Loves” in 1953, “The Girl in the Kremlin” in 1957, and Orson Welles’ 1958 cult classic, “Touch of Evil.”

source http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/04/14/gabor.baby/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Melanie Nathan

Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood

President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner met until 3 a.m. Friday morning to come up with a bill to fund the government through September 30 and prevent a government shut down tonight at midnight. It didn’t happen.

The barricade to the budget is Mike Pence and the rest of the extremists in the government who think that Planned Parenthood is an abortion factory and want it defunded. They don’t give a shit about cancer screenings, pap smears, family planning or any of the vital health care services that Planned Parenthood provides under Title 10. They just want to shut it down because Planned Parenthood helps women arrange abortions that are not paid for by Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood provides services under Title 10 because it is cheaper than having the government run clinics for the same services. Planned Parenthood, because it receives other funding, because it has the facilities in place, is the most cost effective way to meet the obligations of Title 10. There are laws, several of them, that prevent Federal money from paying for abortions.

Rep. Mike Pence, leader of the anti-abotionists

These fanatics will not stop until they have criminalized abortions again. They refuse to believe that abortions existed before Roe v. Wade. My great-aunt died of peritonitis caused by an illegal abortion almost forty years before Roe v. Wade. They are blind stupid if they think that criminalizing abortions is going to stop them. It never has and it never will. Irish women used to get on a ferry and go to England for abortions. American women did the same before Roe v. Wade and they would do so even more today – off to Canada or Mexico for the procedures. One of the flash points that led up to Roe v. Wade was an epidemic of seriously damaged fetuses because of a drug called thalidomide. One women, a teacher with a local television show, went to Europe for an abortion and all hell broke loose when it was made public. We are already at the point where there are small efforts to assist women in getting to some place where they can get the procedures. We would, undoubtedly, end up with a new underground railroad, a network of women helping other women cross the border. That would be the impact of ending abortion in this country. These jackasses could put it out of sight so they can believe it doesn’t exist. Criminalization does not stop abortions. That is the absolute truth. And these self-righteous jerks will just keep smirking along guaranteed that their Neanderthal constituents will keep them in their $174,000 a year jobs as long as they keep up this social war.

We are facing 20 months of this kind of crap – our government, our economic recovery, our ability to create jobs being held hostage to a social agenda that favors the establishment of a state religion by passage of laws based in nothing but their fundamentalist Christian theocracy. We are facing 20 months of the Christian Taliban denying the rest of us our rights under our Constitution.

They represent less than 25% of the American electorate. In their own party only 56% favor not compromising on this issue. Fourteen percent of America’s eligible voters is not a mandate. It’s a f*cking dictatorship.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Related articles

• Mike Pence Says He’d Shut Down the Government to Defund Planned Parenthood (crooksandliars.com)
• Idaho legislator: No abortions should stay the ‘Hand of the Almighty’ (dailykos.com)
• Operation Rescue: Arizona First to Protect Women from Telemed Abortion Abuse (deaconjohnspace.wordpress.com)
• Mike Pence backs more abortions (salon.com)
• Former Planned Parenthood director asks Congress to do the math (hotair.com)

Stand by your man or stand up to your man?  To be or not to be? Sex or no sex?  Oh what the heck is the difference between these questions?

ET COME HOME

Well if you are a wife of a Republican Congressman- now is the time to hold back – Do not stand by your man – do not sleep by your man and do stand up to your man!!

This is my question and call to revolution.

While medical necessities for women seem  of  little concern to the Republicans at this time, wives must rise up and refuse their men their reproductive (ahem) “rights.”

The ‘right’ to spew their sperm!

While government function and the Country is being held hostage to their perspective…. ideology or fiscal responsibility could be in the hands of the republican wives…. while women’s reproductive health is in the masturbatory  hands of their beloved husbands. !

(Portland, Oregon) Receiving the good news that a  Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Tennyson had issued a ruling in her appeal case finding her to be a legal parent,Sondra Sineovich will now be pursuing her right to a fair share of custody of both children together with her ex-partner, Sarah Kemp.

It was found that the couple had indeed asserted a mutual intent when the  artificial insemination of her former partner, Sarah Kemp, took place, resulting in the pregnancies and birth of two children.  “Parker was already born at the time Ms. Kemp left the relationship, for another woman, and was pregnant with our second child”  Ms. Shineovich informed LezGetReal’s Melanie Nathan Wednesday.    Ms. Kemp had prevented Ms. Shineovich from seeing the second child Ally for three years, until six months ago when the Judge ordered supervised visitation.

” I am pleased the Court found that it would not discriminate based on gender or sexual orientation, “  asserts Ms. Shineovich.

“I only see our daughter for a half hour per week, while Sarah stands right there. It has been very difficult.” Sondra informs.  ” I will be much happier when we can all have more time together.”

The ruling noted that the evidence showed much weight that Shineovich had contributed  with her  “actions, emotions and money.” and that the two had a partnership intending to raise the children together.

Ms. Shineovich had previously failed at trial court level to win her right to  the acknowledgment that she is the legal parent of the children, carried  by Ms. Kemp.  She took her case to the Oregon Court of Appeals, which sided with her, in July 2009, declared ORS. 109.243 unconstitutionally discriminatory on the basis of  gender and sexual orientation.

Ms. Sineovich has fought  for her legal parental right with the major difficulty.  Although she says that two LGBT organizations have provided behind the scenes assistance, which has been extremely helpful to her attorneys, she has had to sell almost everything she owns to keep the case going to get to this point.   “I had no idea it would involve this much and go so far, ” she said.   ” I owe about $200,000 and will probably still be paying this off when I am 92.”

“I believe because I had charged Sarah with assault, and facts were in dispute that Organizations were reluctant to take on my case. Unfortunately Sarah had contacted every attorney in town and so there was no one left to take my case. She had purposely out run my ability to find legal counsel, by speaking to as many of the local attorneys as possible and creating a conflict of interest situation. This impeded my case right from the start.”

Sondra also informed LezGetReal that the first Counsel that was used by Ms. Kemp was glad to take the case on a pro bono basis because he was anti-gay rights and expressed views that lesbians and gays should not raise children in such relationships.

There is much to be said for Ms. Sineovich’s tenacity.   It is extremely difficult to sustain a case of this nature through trial and appeals.   “I have spent approximately $300,000 on legal fees and costs.  My team is stellar and they are allowing me to pay the rest off.   The total to date will reach approximately $500,000.  It was worth every cent to me. I made a promise and these are my children. Nothing could have stopped me from pursuing this to have my children too and this was the right thing to do.”

Please help Sondra to Pay her legal expenses, by submitting donations to :

CONTACT TO ASSIST SONDRA SHINEOVICH :

David Owens, Attorney At Law: 503-224-3100

ANY US BANK LOCATION : DONATIONS ACCEPTED:

SONDRA S. LEGAL FUND

Fighting a case for one’s rights in this manner is like fighting for all same-sex couples – as it is precedent setting, based on its particular facts and such tenacious commitments serve all of the LGBT community.   Please help support Sondra to pay off her expenses as well as to continue to fight for her fair share of custody.

READ DECISION – Aa 11 Shineovich Sondra, Tennyson Decision

Aa 11 Shineovich Sondra, Tennyson Decision

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
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Portland -  A  Multnomah County Judge, County Circuit Court Judge Tennyson issued a ruling in  in the Shineovich v. Kemp case, ruling that Sondra Shineovich consented to the artificial insemination of her former domestic partner, Sarah Kemp, resulting in the pregnancies and birth of two children and that the two intended to raise the children as co-parents.

The ruling noted that the evidence showed much weight that Shinovich had contributed  with her  “actions, emotions and money.” and that the two had a partnership intending to raise the children together.

Ms. Shineovich had previously failed at trial court level to win her right to  the acknowledgment that she is the legal parent of the children, carried  by Ms. Kemp.  She took her case to the Oregon Court of Appeals, which sided with her, in July 2009, declared ORS. 109.243 unconstitutionally discriminatory on the basis of  gender and sexual orientation.

READ DECISION – Aa 11 Shineovich Sondra, Tennyson Decision

Aa 11 Shineovich Sondra, Tennyson Decision

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
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Congresswoman Jackie Speier is a person of great conviction, commitment and compassion.  She has traveled her life’s trauma in a manner that belies her calm and resolute presence, as her extraordinary service on behalf of her San Mateo Constituents and her country take precedence.

Today she showed her heroism; as she stood up for herself and women.

Rep. Speier survived a bullet when touring the Jonestown Camp all those decades ago; and it was if she was subjected to yet another today.  when the most disgusting, insensitive and savage commentary of Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey, describing a late term abortion procedure caused the Congresswoman to set her planned remarks aside and lambaste Smith and the Republicans who were seeking to cut funding for planned parenthood.

“You just put my stomach in knots” asserted the Congresswoman,  ”That procedure that you just talk about was a procedure that I endured,” she told a stunned chamber.

In an interview shown on ABC News, Speier spoke of her political courage  ”As the night wore on, the vitriol and grotesque commentary got worse and worse…I sat there thinking, none of these men on the other side have even come close to experiencing this, and yet they can pontificate about what it’s like. It just overwhelmed me.”

Speier underwent a dilation and evacuation at 17 weeks into her pregnancy in her early 40s, while she was serving in the California Assembly in the 1990s, because medical difficulties made it impossible to continue the pregnancy. The procedure used was the same type that Smith’s book described.  . “This was a wanted pregnancy, it was the second miscarriage I had had…What they express doesn’t come close to the experience that a woman goes through when she is losing a baby or when a pregnancy is terminated. It’s a painful, gut-wrenching loss.”

The paternalistic patronization and holier than thou attitudes of men, purporting to know what is best for women, coupled with the political courage of Jackie Speier, should serve as an inspiration for more women to run for office.

“I lost a baby; for you to stand on the floor to suggest somehow that this is welcome or done cavalierly or without thought.”  .. at the end of which  The House applauded.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
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twitter @oblogdeeoblogda

Melanie Nathan – Jan 16 -2011.

What a great acknowledgment that Lesbian films embracing reality, from bed death to affairs, to confusion to sperm donors to children can actually captivate interest from talent such as Bening enough to bring a slice of America to the big screen. AND HEY BY THE WAY hellooooo the elephant in  the room…  – that couple in that movie have no Federal Rights – they are missing 1,138 rights that straight couples have.

As an activist what a shame that Bening did not refer to equality and BEG on behalf of the LGBT community for a repeal of the Defense of marriage Act, DOMA.

Her speech indeed referred to “About two women who are deeply in love trying to keep their family together,  Juliane Moore my partner- made it all possible…. It was a labor of love.”

So all we can do as lesbians living as second class citizens is to hope that there will be more brave actors who normalize our de facto existence and  hopefully find a way to embrace the realities of our de jure pain, at any given opportunity.

UPDATE : – Best Screenplay – goes  to Erin Sorkin Social Network and NOT the lesbian movie okay okay….

In Solidarity,

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

@oblogdeeoblogda

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Image via Wikipedia

“Dutch women grow up thinking home birth is good for you, and that it’s part of mother nature. But I didn’t consider it at all. I think it’s too risky. If something is wrong, it’s better to be in hospital,” said a recently new Dutch mother. The Dutch government is worried by the fact that the rate of death among newborn babies is higher than in the Netherlands than other European countries.

The health minister said recently that obstetric care needed to improve, and there was sometimes “insufficient communication” between professionals.  Some doctors say women are choosing hospital birth because they want a full range of pain relief and quicker deliveries.

Image via Wikipedia

One unique feature of the Dutch system is a network of maternity nurses called Kraamhulp, who assist midwives during the birth, help new mothers begin breastfeeding and provide vital back-up during the crucial first week with maternity care and even housework.

Last year in the Netherlands, there were around 1,700 stillbirths and deaths among newborn babies. Everyone agrees that figure is too high, and that Dutch midwives and doctors should work more closely together.  But are home births being unfairly blamed?

Some believe that home births are safe and even if totally abolished, wouldn’t make a small dent in the mortality statistics. “It’s very short-sighted. I think it would be really sad if choice disappears – and there’s a real risk of this happening in the Netherlands.”

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Melanie Nathan – Dec -23-2010 The Department of State announce the introduction of a redesigned Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA). The CRBA is an official record confirming that a child born overseas to a U.S. citizen parent acquired U.S. citizenship at birth. The redesigned document has state-of-the-art security features that make it extremely resistant to alterations or forgery.

CRBAs have been printed at U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world since their introduction in 1919. Effective January 3, 2011, CRBAs will be printed at our passport facilities in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and New Orleans, Louisiana. Centralizing production and eliminating the distribution of controlled blank form stock throughout the world ensures improved uniform quality and lessens the threat of fraud.

Applications for U.S. passports and the redesigned CRBA will also use the title of “parent” as opposed to “mother” and “father.” These improvements are being made to provide a gender neutral description of a child’s parents and in recognition of different types of families.

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

Well When I saw that the magnificence of this Pregnant woman was being denigrated that was one thing; but when I saw that it was the number one real time tweet right now as I am writing this, I was horrified that a person who goes by LMAO had risen to the top of re-tweets I was sick.

ImLmfaoOverHere

#AintNothingSexyAbout this….Smh! #NoWords http://twitpic.com/2o8qct

Using the words “Aint nothing Sexy About” prompted my reply to Mr. Anti-Woman and I said:

“@ImLmfaoOverHere Well maybe it takes a woman to appreciate another woman’s body in all its forms- lesbians rock. www.lezgetreal.com”

This Guy is a twit and this beautiful woman ought to be lauded for bringing life.  Personally I find the picture magnificent.

My Twit name is OBLOGDEEOBLOGDA….

Mel Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

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09/10/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Iron Chef Cat Cora opened up to People magazine about how her partner and her children went about having their four children. Cat and her partner, Jennifer, used the same sperm donor, fertilized eggs in vitro and then got the other one’s egg implanted in her womb. They also have another child who they aren’t sure which one is the ‘biological’ mom. Which is fine with them for now. There is also one more kid in there, but I can’t keep track. Four is too many for me. I think they are all boys too, which must keep Cat and Jennifer really busy. On a more serious note, Cat also describes how painful the IVF process was; especially when she suffered a miscarriage:

The “shots and shifting hormones” of IVF proved challenging for both women, and Cora reveals she even suffered a miscarriage along the way. “The first three days of the pregnancy were euphoric … This little embryo was growing,” she recalls. “Then I lost the baby. I cried for a week.”

Starting over from scratch “was devastating” and “traumatizing,” but Cora says it ultimately gave her a perspective she wouldn’t have otherwise had. “I honestly think it’s a good thing I got pregnant on the second try.”

So sad. But luckily, Cat was able to get pregnant again. Cat also says that four is the perfect amount of children for her and Jennifer:

“We knew we wanted to have four kids,” Cora explains, “She didn’t want to wait, and she got pregnant quickly. After she did, we decided I shouldn’t wait … It would be easier to raise two young babies together, almost as twins. Jennifer could breastfeed for me when I was on the road.”

She even admits that it was a rocky road for the two mothers in terms of their relationship, when Cat went back to work four weeks after their two sons were born. Thankfully, the two were able to salvage their relationship and keep their loving family intact.

Cat also throws in a political point, when she makes sure that People knows how difficult it is for LGBT couples to ensure that both parents are legally considered to be parents.

“As a same-sex couple, we had to go back and legally adopt them,” she points out. “Even though Nash was her biological son, Jennifer had to adopt him. Same with me and Caje.”

Adding that “there were lots of papers to file and lots of legal expenses,” Cora feels it’s a process that needs to be simplified. “Hopefully someday same-sex couples won’t have to go through all of that,” she adds.

I think it’s great that Cat Cora is opening up to People about what lesbian mom’s go through and how they feel about the process. She doesn’t have to put her life out there and use it to educate people, but she is. I, as a potential future lesbian mom, really appreciate that. Especially since the Southern Chef is loved by people who wouldn’t generally be exposed to the real side of LGBT family life. So go on with your bad self, Cat!

You can read the interview in it’s entirety HERE

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Film Showing and Reception Set for Sept. 14, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO-  Twenty-five years after its premier, the groundbreaking documentary “Choosing Children”—the first film to explore and chronicle the journey taken by lesbians and gay men to become parents after they came out—will return to the silver screen at the Herbst Theater on Sept. 14 to celebrate its 25^th anniversary.

The landmark film, produced by two Bay Area filmmakers, Academy Award winner Debra Chasnoff and Kim Klausner, was released in 1985, introducing viewers to the first generation of lesbians and gay men who chose to become parents after coming out, and contributed to an expanded definition of family that has since opened the doors for millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to become parents. “Before the early 1980s, it was just assumed that if you came out, you gave up the chance and the right to be a parent,” says Chasnoff. “But a small number of brave lesbians and gay men began to challenge that belief. With “Choosing Children” we wanted to share their stories with the world and inspire others that they, too, could redefine family for themselves.”

Chasnoff and Klausner conducted a nationwide search for lesbian-headed families that were navigating what was then a very new legal, political, and social terrain. Ultimately, they found six families who reflected some of the racial and ethnic diversity of our vibrant communities, and who had “chosen children” in different ways. Their stories provide an intimate look at the challenges and joys faced by this early generation of lesbian and gay parents in their quests to build their families—stories that are still fascinating and relevant today.

“Without the pioneering generation that we were able to capture in “Choosing Children,” none of us would have the rights or opportunities for creating families that we have today,” Klausner says. “It is almost beyond comprehension how much the political and social landscape has changed since we made the film.”

The film poignantly captures some of the important history that has contributed to today’s LGBT family rights victories, including the recent Proposition 8 decision by Judge Vaughn Walker here in California. It is partly why so many community groups are cosponsoring this evening celebration for LGBT families, our allies, prospective parents and others.

One of the arenas where the most significant advances have been made is the legal system.

“The legal advances we have made for our families are nothing short of breathtaking,” says National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell. “These gains are largely due to this early generation of lesbians and gay parents, who charted a previously unseen path in order to become parents and raise children, becoming role models for LGBT people everywhere.”

Many Bay Area organizations are joining together for this community-wide screening and celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of Choosing Children, celebrate all the wonderful children LGBT people are now parenting, and raise funds to permanently preserve this historical gem on DVD. The restored 35 mm film print, courtesy of the OUTFEST Legacy Project and the UCLA Film Archive, was a huge hit at last summer’s Los Angeles Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

If you’ve never seen Choosing Children, here’s your chance to soak up a delightful piece of our cultural history. If you are planning on having children, you will be inspired by the courageous pioneers in the film who figured out how to bring kids into their lives, co-parent with a same-sex partner, and handle concerns from relatives and schools. If you saw the film “back in the day,” this will be a trip down memory lane (including a rarely heard song by Holly Near) and a special moment to marvel at how much progress we’ve made.

The 25^th Anniversary Screening and Reception includes a viewing, and remarks by Chasnoff, Klausner, and the Honorable Donna Hitchens, founder of the National Center for Lesbian Rights who is featured in the film, and dessert reception The event is presented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Groundspark, COLAGE, Frameline, Equality California, Our Family Coalition, and PFLAG to celebrate the advances our movement has made in family law and society, and to raise funds to permanently preserve this historical film on DVD.

TICKET and EVENT INFORMATION

“Choosing Children” 25^th Anniversary Screening and Reception

What: “Choosing Children” 25^th anniversary celebration to raise funds to permanently preserve this historical film on DVD
When: 6:30 p.m. on September 14, 2010 (Program begins at 7 p.m.)
Where: Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $25 (regular admission); $10 (student admission)

Learn more and order tickets

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

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The media is buzzing about the new film “The Kids Are All Right”, which premiered earlier this month.  Its release was exciting for me because for the first time I saw characters who closely reflected my family’s makeup, though the rest of the story, not really.  I too have two mothers and a sperm donor who I contacted when I turned eighteen.  The outcome was different and far less drama surrounded my family when I was finally able to contact and meet my donor, though there were still plenty of surreal moments.  The reaction to the film has been extremely varied, from people thrilled to see representation of a lesbian-headed household, to those who see the events depicted in the film as reinforcement of the notion that children need to know and live with their biological mother and father.

Growing up in Massachusetts through the marriage equality debate in 2004 and all subsequent movements, I have long been combating false beliefs that LGBTQ people should not get married or raise children.  I have lesbian mothers and I have a sperm donor.  This in no way has made me less of a person, daughter, woman, or friend.  To me, what makes a good parent is dedication to raising and loving a child.  The number, gender, or sexuality of the parents does not determine the ability to help a child grow into a compassionate and kind person.  To tell the truth, I feel lucky to have grown up with the knowledge that my mother put a great deal of time, money, and thought into having me.  I have never doubted that I am loved because I know how much my mother wanted to have a child and did everything she could to have me.

While I understand that some people believe that the married, heterosexual, biological family is the only valid familial model, I refuse to let this stereotype go unchallenged.  I have two mothers, only one of whom is biological, and no father.  Rather than somehow leaving a negative affect, my family has helped me become a more open, loving, passionate, and socially aware individual.  Growing up I was surrounded by many wonderful adult role models, some of whom were male.  Of course I thought about my sperm donor, who he was, why he donated, what it would be like to meet him.  The reason for me was never about searching for a parent I had lost or a piece of me that was missing, it was about meeting and thanking the person who enabled Cathy and Nancy, my mothers, to become parents.

I had never met another person with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or even queer parent until I was thirteen.  That summer my family went to Provincetown, Massachusetts for Family Week where I participated in workshops provided by COLAGE.  COLAGE is the only national youth-driven network of children, youth, and adults with LGBTQ parents.  I would not be writing this if I had never come to know COLAGE and the others with LGBTQ parents I met through COLAGE.  That summer I found my center and my political voice.  Through the years COLAGE has helped me become a better advocate for myself and my family.  This summer I am an intern at COLAGE and I am assisting in the distribution of the Donor Insemination (DI) Guide.  The DI Guide is part testimonials and part advice focusing on the questions and concerns of donor-conceived children and their families.  I have been able to watch the DI Guide go from an idea to a tool for families.

It has been almost three years since I began the process of contacting my sperm donor.  Four months after I turned eighteen I had the name and address of my donor and within the year I learned I had two half-sisters who shared the same donor.  I think the most incredible part of meeting my donor and half-siblings was putting an end to the mystery.  After years of playing around with different scenarios in my head, or coming up with the reasons that Harvey Fierstein was my donor, I lost mystique but gained very real new friends and family.  Now family gatherings include my two sisters, two of their siblings, our collective six lesbian mothers, and our donor and his wife.  Certainly we are still getting to know each other, but there is an undeniably authentic connection between all of us.

Along with identical chins, my half-sisters and I have followed very similar paths.  One sister, who is four months older than me, was a sophomore at Smith College as I began my first year at Mount Holyoke College.  The schools are both women’s liberal arts colleges and twenty minutes apart. Together we met our other donor sister in March 2009.  It turned out that this new sister is from a town ten minutes from my own, that we have mutual acquaintances, and I had heard about her a year before I met her.  At a drama festival at her high school I met a guy who had taken the girl in town with lesbian mothers to her senior prom the previous year.  In my favorite “small world” story, my sister and I took the same guy to our senior proms.  I do not look like anyone in my family, but I do look a lot like her.  The photos, both of us wearing blue dresses, are just incredible.  Thankfully, we did not both date “our” prom date.

Meeting my donor and my new extended family did not alter my relationship with my parents.  They were completely supportive of my desire to contact my donor and they were with me when I met him.  I did not begin this adventure to seek a father and, though my donor is a wonderful person and a part of my life now, he is not my father.  I have two parents and that is enough for me, but I am thrilled to have him as part of my growing family.  For some people, family is a rigid concept.  For me, family is not limited by genetics or living in the same home.  My family is filled with moms, grandparents, half-siblings, friends, cousins, and a sperm donor.  It may seem unfamiliar to some, but this is my family and together we are more than all right.

-Emily McGranachan

Emily McGranachan ’12  – Love Makes a Family

Hometown: Georgetown, Massachusetts

Emily McGranachan found her voice at the age of 13 while attending the COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) Family Week in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Its “life-changing lessons” gave her “a sense of empowerment.”

As a resident of Massachusetts, McGranachan often heard people debate what rights her family should have. Now a guest speaker with the Freedom to Marry Tour, she has shared her story and “introduced people to a child of a same-sex household” on several radio stations nationwide.

McGranachan has also worked to encourage tolerance and activism on a local level, serving as president of her high school Civil Rights Team and as a volunteer at a family homeless shelter through Horizons for Homeless Children. “These children inspire me,” she said. “In return I do my best to teach them kindness and compassion by being a positive role model.”

COLAGE is an organization, created in 1989 by the children of several lesbians and gay men who felt a need for support. Though its membership is not necessarily LGBT-identified, COLAGE’s focus on the issues of LGBT parents’ families makes it a de facto part of the LGBT community. There are 52 COLAGE chapters in the United States of America, 2 chapters in Canada, and one European chapter.  COLAGE is run and operated by children (of all ages) who have a lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) parent or parents. Older Colagers mentor younger members. They prepare them for any challenges that a child may have, having same sex parents. Members are open with each other and any topic can and is discussed. COLAGE teams each summer with Family Pride and holds its annual Family Week in Provincetown on Cape Cod. There, hundreds of gay families come to enjoy the summer and the kids attend COLAGE meetings and workshops.

COLAGE is based out of San Francisco, California and has small number of paid staff. Its executive director is Beth Teper who has a lesbian mom and today is an advocate for children who have same sex parents.

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Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com is bragging about the fact that – The Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List is investing $215,000 in an independent expenditure campaign highlighting what it considers “the strong pro-life stance” of California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina.  She faces pro-choice Tom Campbell and pro-life Chuck DeVore in the Republican primary.

The winner will take on pro LGBT rights and pro-choice Sen. Barbara Boxer, in the general election.  As a true progressive liberal democrat I am  definitely backing Hewlett Packard disappointment, Fiorina for the Primary.  It would make the General election a walk in the park for incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer!

Leading up to the state primary election on June 8th, the SBA List asserts that it will “educate voters through an aggressive online advertising and e-mail campaign, targeted calls to 600,000 registered voters and direct fundraising from its membership.”

Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com of the educational effort.

According to an article by Steven Ertelt  LifeNews Editor, in an article  Pro-Life Women’s Group Puts 215K Behind Carly Fiorina in California Senate Race.

Carly Fiorina is the perfect pro-woman, pro-life contrast to Barbara Boxer,” said Dannenfelser.  ”The Susan B. Anthony List is dedicating significant resources in the final two weeks of the primary to educate California voters about Fiorina’s strong pro-life position and ability to beat Boxer in November.” She said.

Referring to Boxer and Campbell as “pro-abortion” is no mere misnomer but a mischaracterization and typical right wing “educational” stance regarding abortion.  This disingenuous depiction will undoubtedly be countered if Fiorina wins the primary.  Gosh I hope she does. Go Carly the lesbians support your PRIMARY.

As far as the primaries are concerned, let them waste their money on the anti-choice contender- because if Fiorina wins, hehehe,  Californians will never vote for her.  She will drive the woman to the polls to vote for Senator Boxer.

Fiorina is running for Senate on the smell of her desire for unfettered power – a loser who nudges her way into settings that exceed her capabilities and put truly competent women to shame!

Californians would like nothing more than to focus on the Pro choice winning issue  rather than on economy and LGBT wedge issues.  This is no pro-life State!   The is a death sentence state!    AND of course a Pro-choice State to the Core!

Carli will be Dead on Arrival.  SO thanks for the Money SBA List and for helping Boxer gain the momentum for the General.

“California is burdened with two female Senators who claim to represent women by pushing their radical, pro-abortion agenda, yet polling clearly shows that more and more Americans are calling themselves pro-life,’ the pro-life women’s leader added. (Okay!- that’s kewl!)

Dannenfelser continued according to the NEWLIFE Blog: “Carli Fiorina is uniquely poised to be a leader for the unborn and for women in the U.S. Senate, ushering in a new brand of ‘feminism’ that harkens back to its roots in the suffragettes and recognizes that the rights of one are not built on the broken rights of another.”  (Okay which Carly are you talking about here – the one who is a woman herself?) As the EMILY’S List-endorsed candidate, SBA says Boxer is the most aggressive champion of abortion rights in Congress and makes a Fiorina match-up ideal in the upcoming general election.

Apparently according to the Fiorina SBA  backslapping Blog , LIFENEWS -

The Susan B. Anthony List plans to spend $6 million on voter education in the midterm elections, including $3 million on key Senate races, $1 million in bundled direct candidate contributions from SBA List members and $1 million on its plan to target “pro-life” Democrats who voted for abortion funding in the health care bill.

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5-6-10 Melanie Nathan

We all know it matters who we send to Congress. But if ever we needed a reminder for why it’s crucial that we elect pro-choice Democratic women governors and representatives at the state and local level, here it is, according to Emily’s List.

Women’s rights have been under attack around the country recently. In the last few weeks, state legislatures have taken steps to dramatically limit access to full reproductive services — endangering women’s lives for political gain.

Emily’s list provides the following recently updated overview on what’s happening in the following seven states:

Nebraska

In Nebraska, lawmakers seem to think that women who aren’t deemed mentally fit to have an abortion should instead raise a child – a mindbender, if you ask me. The legislature passed a far-right bill last month that requires women who seek abortions to undergo mental health and physical screenings — and they didn’t stop there. The state’s anti-choicers are on a roll, pushing through another bill soon after that makes it illegal for women to have abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, citing possible fetal pain.

The name of the screening bill? The Women’s Health Protection Act. Ironic, isn’t it?

Oklahoma

Two laws in Oklahoma were passed last week, despite a veto from the state’s Democratic governor. The first bill, which has no exceptions for victims of rape or incest, requires that women seeking abortions have ultrasounds an hour prior to receiving an abortion. The second bill protects doctors who withhold critical information about a woman’s pregnancy — information, such as fetal abnormalities, that might be a factor in a woman’s decision to have an abortion.

Read more about Oklahoma’s latest assault on women’s rights here.

Florida

Florida’s legislators were on the same page as those in Oklahoma, recently bill that requires all women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound. And if the women don’t want to see the image, doctors must describe it to them.

Georgia

Georgia’s already gearing up for new anti-choice legislation in their next session, after a proposed bill was deemed too extreme even by Republican House leadership. Georgia Right To Life had advocated for the bill, which would have made it a 10-year felony for physicians to perform abortions if the gender or race of the fetus is a disclosed reason a patient is seeking the procedure. The bill also made it a crime for physicians to perform abortions if the patient were coerced into ending a pregnancy. The speaker of the state House, a Republican, did not support the initial bill but has promised to introduce a revised version next year.

Mississippi

Just last week, the state legislature sent its Republican governor a bill that would forbid public financing of abortion — even in cases of severe birth defects. Additionally, the legislation would prohibit public funding of abortion in any health exchanges created in response to health care reform law.

Despite having a 2002 bill on the books that prohibits any federal, state, or local tax dollars from being used for most elective abortions, anti-choice advocates argued for the need to make a public response to national health care reform — reasserting what they’d already established, apparently.

Louisiana

The state House in Louisiana is hoping to have a new law on the books soon, one that would ban insurers from offering elective abortion coverage. A violation of rights? Definitely. A knee-jerk bill that ignores possible consequences? Without a doubt. Health care providers in the state have already raised the flag about the possibility that women may be forced to carry to term fetuses with no chance at survival — a cruel attempt to “preserve life.”

Utah

And in Utah, women who miscarry because of “an intentional or knowing act” can now be charged with murder, according to legislation signed into law recently. The vague law has raised plenty of questions — if your doctor’s orders and your job requirements conflict, who’s going to foot the bill to help feed your kids when you can’t work? And, as Tamar Abrams, insightfully points out, the law doesn’t even attempt to address the real problem: why a woman would be so desperate that she would knowingly cause her own miscarriage – an incredibly dangerous and sad choice to make.

EMILY’s List is dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women to office.

• EMILY’s List looks for viable political opportunities and recruits strong pro-choice Democratic women candidates to run.
• They tell the members about these women, and ask them to give directly to the campaigns of candidates for House, Senate, and governor.
• Also provide extensive training for candidates and staff so they can make the most of limited resources and win the toughest races.
• Conduct in-depth, ongoing research into the minds and moods of women voters, a critical bloc for Democrats whose votes are key to electing more women.
• Finally,  the WOMEN VOTE! project reaches out to women voters in the days and weeks before Election Day with persuasive messages that motivate them to go to the polls and cast their ballots for progressive Democrats.

EMILY’s List’s motto is “win today and build for tomorrow.” Emily notes that if women vote, women win….

SO be sure to visit their website, to see whom they endorse and then Don’t forget Vote and Vote well!  While many in the LGBT community are feeling somewhat resentful and not inclined to make political contributions – I say we have what we have and must make our donations wisely.  But a donation is of no value unless you get rowdy as well….  Call your members of Congress and for those in the hook for election- ask the pointed questions….

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5-5-10  MELANIE NATHAN

Lambda Legal Case:

“This is a terrific outcome for our client and her six-and-a-half-year-old son. New York has recognized the legal parent-child relationship established after this couple entered into a civil union in Vermont.”

(New York, May 5, 2010) — In a decision yesterday, all seven judges on the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that a non-biological mother, represented by Lambda Legal, is a legal parent and entitled to seek custody and visitation based on a Vermont civil union that she and her former partner entered into prior to the birth of their son.

“This is a terrific outcome for our client and her six-and-a-half-year-old son. New York has recognized the legal parent-child relationship established after this couple entered into a civil union in Vermont,” said Susan Sommer, Director of Constitutional Litigation at Lambda Legal. “While this is a great result for Debra and her son, unfortunately a majority of the Court did not go further and overrule its 1991 Alison D. That decision allowed only biological or adoptive parents to seek custody and visitation. Today’s decision only added one new category of protection for families. Children whose parents conceive them using an anonymous donor but haven’t traveled out of state to enter into a civil union or marriage should be protected as well. The legislature should follow the lead taken by many other states and pass legislation clarifying children’s legal relationships with both their intended parents.”

The Court of Appeals ruled that “New York will recognize parentage created by a civil union in Vermont. Our determination that Debra H. is M.R.’s parent allows her to seek visitation and custody at a best-interest hearing.”

With this victory in New York’s highest court, Debra H. now is able to proceed in the trial court to seek custody and visitation with her son, as well as to provide him with financial support. A trial judge will ultimately rule on what is in the best interest of the child.

Today, the Court of Appeals also decided another case, H.M. v. E.T., involving a same-sex couple who conceived a child with an anonymous donor, but in which the non-biologically related partner now argues that she is not the child’s parent and should not be required to provide child support. The high court ruled that Family Court has jurisdiction to hear the case and determine whether the woman is the child’s parent.

Background on Debra H. v. Janice R.

Lambda Legal represents Debra H. in her effort to continue to parent the son she and her former civil union partner, Janice R., planned together. The couple agreed they would raise a family together in a two-parent household and conceived their son using in vitro fertilization. Janice promised that Debra would formally adopt their child, and they met with an adoption lawyer prior to their son’s birth. In 2003, before he was born, they entered into a civil union in Vermont, which at that time was the most legally significant relationship available to same-sex couples under U.S. law. Debra was by Janice’s side throughout labor and delivery and cut their son’s umbilical cord; her last name was included in their son’s name on his birth certificate. In the years that followed Debra gave him the day and night love, nurture and care of a mother. When it came time for the second-parent adoption, Janice, who is a lawyer, advised Debra “as a lawyer” that they didn’t need to get the courts involved and that Debra would always be the boy’s parent. When the couple’s relationship ended in 2006, Debra continued actively to parent her son, who moved with Janice into an apartment only a block away. Debra and her son were together daily, and she often put him to bed.

Early in May of 2008, when the child was four-and-a-half-years-old, Janice abruptly refused Debra any further contact with him. Debra immediately filed for emergency joint custody and restoration of parental access. The trial court ordered interim regular ongoing visitation and allowed Debra’s petition to proceed to trial. When Janice appealed, Lambda Legal entered the case in early 2009 on Debra’s behalf. The case was argued in the Appellate Division, First Department in March 2009, and on April 9, 2009, the trial court decision was reversed. The New York Court of Appeals then accepted the case for appeal and heard argument on February 17, 2010. Many prominent legal and child welfare experts filed friend-of-the-court briefs on Debra’s side, including the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the National Association of Social Workers, child advocates and 45 family law professors on the faculty of every law school in New York State.

The child’s court-appointed attorney also asked the court to give Debra the opportunity to protect their parent-child relationship.

Susan Sommer, Director of Constitutional Litigation at Lambda Legal, argued the appeal on behalf of Debra. She is joined by co-counsel Bonnie Rabin and Orrit Hershkovitz of Cohen, Hennessey, Bienstock & Rabin, P.C. and by Lambda Legal affiliated attorney Jeremy Sanders. Debra’s son is represented by Anthony Parisi, III and counsel Jennifer Colyer of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, who argued the case in the Court of Appeals.

Posted by Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

“Like a virus, no one is immune from ignorance – no matter what their profession or even educational background might be.“

4-13-2010m; Posted by Melanie Nathan

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa on Tuesday will launch the first invitro fertilization unit in Israel for HIV carriers with fertility difficulties who are rejected from treatment by other hospitals.

Although Israel boasts one of the highest availabilities of fertility treatment in the world, it never before had the facilities to carry out IVF treatment for HIV carriers.

Today, an HIV carrier who receives treatment has almost the same life expectancy as the rest of the population, and certain medical treatment enables carrier to conceive and give birth to healthy children.

Following the Supreme Court appeal by the task force and six women, in 2006 the Health Ministry set up a committee to look into fertility treatments among carriers of HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

The committee recommended setting up a separate infrastructure for fertility treatment for such patients, despite the fact that in many Western countries carriers receive the treatment in ordinary clinics.  The multiple postponements of the opening led to the Health Ministry being sharply rebuked by the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee.

The unit,  located in a remote, discreet area of the hospital, to afford for maximum privacy for the patients, will also serve carriers of other viruses, and it already has a waiting list with several women waiting for treatment.

The Rambam unit opens just two days after the launch of a sperm washing institute at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, allowing men who carry the HIV virus to conceive healthy children together with non-carrier spouses.

The opening of the new unit at Rambam, which includes a number of labs and sub-clinics, has been postponed at least four times.

Yonatan Karni, director of the Israel AIDS Task Force, said Monday “I’m thrilled to cut the ribbon for the unit, but what will truly convince me this is really happening will be to cut the umbilical chord for the first child born as a result of the process.   To get to this day we had to go through the Supreme Court and four years of public battles. To my surprise the greatest obstacle was the obstinacy of the healthcare system. I found that just like with the virus, no one is immune to ignorance – no matter what their profession or even educational background might be.”

Original Source:- 4-13-2010 Ha’aretz

New hospital unit allows HIV carriers to conceive through IVF

By Fadi Eyadat

Melanie Nathan – nathan@privatecourts.com

Tel Aviv View, by Melanie Nathan© - rights reserved

Melanie Nathan, 3-31-10. The Israel High Court of Justice reviewed a petition by a gay married couple (male) to have a surrogate mother carry their baby, and with deep social, philosophical and ethical issues decided it was a matter for the Knesset and not the court.

In Israel, the Surrogacy Law states that only a couple composed of a man and a woman are allowed to use a surrogate mother.  But the attorney for the couple argued that the law should be interpreted to include a homosexual pair in the definition of “a couple” or that, because the current law violates the constitutional right to equality, the right of homosexual couples to engage surrogate mothers should be included.  The state rejected both these arguments, but it put greater emphasis on the underlying issues that were raised by the petition and the far-reaching implications.

Because the state recognizes that there have been sweeping changes in the concept of what constitutes a “natural family” and because of the many technological innovations that have been made, it has decided to establish a public, professional committee to study the entire issue of fertility and birth and will include the issue of surrogate mothers in its investigation, the state added.

Itai Pinkas and Yoav Arad,  married in Canada and for the past five years have been trying to find a way to bring a baby into their family and now find themselves at the helm of this adventure toward overt recognition of all families by a Country,  born of tradition and religion,  that has a people  willing to lead in profound change.

“The petition places itself at the intersection of law and society and obliges all of us to reexamine the meaning of concepts that have permanently settled in our consciousness as having a certain importance,” wrote the State’s representative, Dina Zilber. “It invites us to examine the possibility of giving alternative significance instead of, or alongside, the conservative significance of concepts such as ‘family,’ ‘parenthood’ and ‘human dignity’ that we have become accustomed to think about in a certain way. It seeks to expand the boundaries of this awareness and the range of possibilities and choices.”

“It is very possible that the time has come to reexamine, perhaps also to refresh, basic conventions such as the ‘naturalness’ of the family institution and the meaning of this concept,” she continued. “The social and cultural changes, the technological developments, the separation between biological and social parenthood are all undermining the basic assumptions that prevailed regarding what a family is and offers a social, moral and even legal challenge to all of us. [But] it is a separate question whether the answer to these questions, in the circumstances before us, should or can be determined by the court. This is very doubtful.”

Another question raised by the petition was the role that surrogacy should play in society. Originally, it was introduced as an extreme solution for couples who could not have children.  Allowing homosexual couples to resort to do this would expand the practice beyond what the legislator originally had in mind, she warned. “In this regard, the state argues that granting the petition means expanding the use of surrogate to an extent we cannot know in advance.”

However I will go out on a limb to suggest that perhaps this makes the argument for gay men qualifying to use surrogacy within the confines of the current definition.  They are legally married and cannot reproduce without the assistance of surrogacy – to me sounds like they fit right in to the existing requirement.

The state also argued that the court in this case was not being asked to give official recognition to a situation that already existed, but to bring into  being a new family unit consisting of a father, a father and a child, a unit that does not exist today. I would suggest a contrary argument, that this family unit has a right to exist and hence this is invalid as an argument for the State.  In addition such a unit could feasibly exists and so the argument makes no sense.

LGR will keep a keen eye on any developments.

Itai J. Pinkas (born 1973) is a public figure and prominent leader of the Israeli gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual community (LGBT). Pinkas served as chair of the national LGBT association in Israel and today is a member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Council.^[1] He also serves as a counselor to the mayor of Tel Aviv regarding LGBT affairs. Since January 2004, he has served as the chairperson of the board for the Dan Region Association of Towns for Environmental Issues & Sewage. Pinkas is also currently active in the Labor Party.

n 2005, Pinkas married his partner Yoav Arad as part of a public campaign to compel the state of Israel to recognize same-sex marriages. Their marriage was performed in Canada, the only country at that time which granted same-sex marriages to foreign citizens. Their request to have the marriage registered by the Interior Ministry was denied. However, in the end of 2006, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled the couple was, entitled to register their marriage in the Population Registry.

Reference source:  Dan Izenberg, Jerusalem Post.

Melanie Nathan

Post – By Melanie Nathan,   nathan@privatecourts.com
Human Rights and LGBT Advocacy, San Francisco.

@oblogdeeoblogda

Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/lezgetrealcom/488276775292

Debbie Thurman

 Posted by Melanie Nathan, 11.05 p.pm PST  1/1/10

  Lisa Miller, ‘ex-lesbian,’ has fled from her legal obligation to hand her daughter over to the custodial parent Janet Jenkins. She has disappeared with the child and all the while egged on by a very righteous bunch of  Christians who deem their interpretation of the Bible superior to civil law of the United States of America.  See my colleague,  Bridgette P. LaVictoire, Ex-Lesbian” Lisa Miller Fails To Hand Over Custody of Isabella To Janet Jenkins Written on 1 Jan, 2010 at 16:05 

Ex-gay proponent,  disguised as mental health expert, Debbie Thurman, creator of a support group, today cheered the disappearance of Miller sometime earlier this Thurman’s blog called this apparent kidnapping an example of “true motherhood”:

Thurman’s BLOG clearly sought to aid and abet the criminal act of Lisa Miller, spurring her along with prayer () and G-d knows what else,  and now guess what like Miller Thurman’s BLOG has done its own disappearing Act, clear evidence of her assistance and encouragement of the sacrificial lamb Miller,  to commit a crime.

I kept a copy of her website BLOG because I knew that when today came if Miller would fail to hand over the child as ordered by a Vermont Judge, Cohen, , Thurman would be compelled to take her BLOG, evidence of her crime, down.  SO if the FEDS want me as a witness I am ready willing and able. There are hundreds of LGBT bloggers out there who have been reporting on this for some time. I am sure they too would be willing to provide any evidence that the Blogosphere may have produced.

It is about time that religions interference and stepping on civil law is exposed for what it is.  The LGBT community is ready to be active when the civil law discriminates and now we are ready to be good citizens to urge the upholding of the civil law when it is broken; and to add insult to injury broken in the name of Jesus.  

The Christian right has no authority to circumvent the  law of this country.  This is the perfect example of the danger in failing to honor the boundary between Church and State. This failure to separate the two and invoke the Bible in place of the law of the land would serve to give us license to stone adulterers, and you all know the rest of what the bible has to say.

This is what Debbie  Thurman’s now missing Post says about now missing Miller :

“Were I in Lisa’s shoes, I could only hope to have the faith and courage she has displayed for the past six years. …

Lisa obeyed God in seeking to raise Isabella in the Christian faith. Isabella learned Scripture, apologetics and the art of prayer at her mother’s knee and in church, to the extent that she found her Christian school Bible classes boring and “childish.” This is an intelligent, precocious 7-year-old, who knows her mind and can speak it. She would have given Janet Jenkins nightmares had she consented to live under the same roof.

I cannot answer the burning question on everyone’s lips: Where are Lisa and Isabella? Somewhere safe, I pray. How and when did they get there? Only God knows. ..

What happens now? A lot of frustration, recrimination and more lies on one side and a collective sigh of relief on the other. The courts still have a huge task set before them, meanwhile. Lisa and Isabella represent only one of many similar cases waiting to be resolved. We need precedents that honor the prevailing states’ rights, laws and constitutions. The majority of Americans overwhelmingly support traditional marriage. If the tyrannical minority wants to push against that, it can and will be met with civil disobedience. There is no other way.

Lisa Miller is a mother who would give up her life to save her child. Of that there is no doubt. She apparently has chosen to forfeit a large measure of her liberty, personal property and pursuit of happiness in assuring that child her God-ordained future, much as a group of patriots pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor more than two centuries ago to establish this nation.

I say God bless and long live Lisa and Isabella Miller. All who have known them are the better for it.

Thurman’s statement seems to confirm allegations that Miller is being used by Thurman and Christian Rightists at the Liberty Counsel as a test case for their Manhattan Declaration, which is a vow to violate any law that fundamentalists happen to disagree with.

MMM, what do you all think?  So go to her BLOG site http://theformers.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/this-is-true-motherhood/

and you will see nada gone bye bye!

And  then there is this guy who ought to be subpoenaed too.

“ I pray,” says  Drew Taggart  “people ‘along the way’ are brave enough and smart enough to render the necessary assistance to Lisa and Isabella so this girl can be raised in a healthy environment. I just hope Lisa did her homework and did this disappearing act properly.”

In a subsequent defense of this statement, Taggart says:

I doubt she’ll ever see a day of jail. Once word of this gets out, millions of people are going to be outraged. And there are plenty of local and a few state law enforcement agencies around the country, who will not waste a minute trying to find her. William Cohen is a leftwing hack and this ruling is a joke. Without the support of law enforcement, especially wherever Lisa opts to call her new home, this ruling is going nowhere.

So back to my having copied the  now barren BLOG as a keepsake, I find the comments  here revealed to show  this Mr. Taggert that sentiment is not always anti-gay but that we have a way of being on the side of what is fair and correct  and average Americans have no problem seeing the danger in what you preach.

Comments from Thurmans now missing BLOG:-

” Surely there are similar precedents to draw upon involving hetro couples. Namely, situations where the mother’s male partner/husband is not the biological father, and has not adopted the child, but at some point had a supportive relationship to the child as a stepfather.

Comment by Priya Lynn — December 30, 2009 @ 2:32 pm“

I can think of anecdotal cases involving people I’ve known (in which case the former stepfather has no rights), but I’m not a legal scholar so I’d appreciate any info on the matter. Anyone?

Comment by Brad — December 30, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

If a warrant is issued for her arrest, anyone providing her with assistance would be aiding a fugitive. Somehow I doubt Debbie Thurman wants to do state or federal time. Since the State of Virginia is now supporting the Vermont Court as they are required, I would guess that Miller would flee south (perhaps even to Mexico). If anyone helps Miller flee Virginia, they are looking at federal penalties. Judges hold a dim view of those who flout court rulings. I wouldn’t expect much leniency in sentencing.

Comment by John — December 30, 2009 @ 1:12 pm

Unbelievably someone on the page made sense in pointing out that Miller hasn’t put herself in a good position and being on the run actually hurts Isabella.

Comment by a. mcewen — December 30, 2009 @ 1:15 pm

So much for Thurman’s lame excuse that she didn’t give Miller any legal advice. Always knew you were a BS’er Debbie, thanks for coming out of the closet and admitting it.

Comment by Priya Lynn — December 30, 2009 @ 1:29 pm

If Miller does not comply with the law and wants to play martyr – I say fine. She can send a few years handcuffed and locked in the can to think about the sin of kidnapping.

What Miller is doing is not holy. She is a poor role model who is mentally abusing her child. There will likely be massive shrink bills in the future for Isabella, thanks to Miller.

Her lawlessness is not to be compared to our nation’s founders. It is criminal behavior, profoundly irresponsible and deeply immoral. It disgusts me that these frauds are cynically co-opting American symbols in their politically based criminality.

It is a shame that Miller allowed herself to be used as a pawn in the Culture War Syndicate. I doubt her friends will visit her much in the hoosegow once she is no longer useful to their political games.

Comment by Wayne Besen — December 30, 2009 @ 1:52 pm

“So much for Thurman’s lame excuse that she didn’t give Miller any legal advice. Always knew you were a BS’er Debbie, thanks for coming out of the closet and admitting it.”

   And you are deducing this how, exactly?

Comment by Debbie Thurman — December 30, 2009 @ 2:24 pm

You really are a piece of work Debbie. You just admitted the truth in your own blog, praising miller for the kidnapping, calling it “true motherhood”. Now of course in your Christian world where black is white and bad is good, you’ll have some pathetic excuse for how your actions are really the opposite of what you’ve done, but we’re not stupid and we’re not buying any of your BS. “ 

Comment by Priya Lynn — December 30, 2009 @ 2:32 pm

THURMANS WEBSITE  is located at http://debbiethurman.com/dt_files/aboutdebbie.php 

Last but not least important, I am urging the FEDS to investigate the Liberty Council, Debbie Thurman, Taggart, et al to see just how Ms Miller has financed her escape… Check the Banks and there is likely to be a trail and who knows that trail might lead to Isabella.

At the same time I urge Ms Miller to turn the child in, the damage is done and your only chance of leniency is that once you have done so you may be reprieved.  I urge also the Christian Ministries involved or not involved to encourage Ms. Miller to subvert the Manhatten Declaration and to obey the Civil Law especially those of you who may be implicated in this.  If you do turn yourself in pronto,  you may find a willing Judge let go of having you do time.  That would be a lot better for Isabella.    A good mediator may then help you with some supervised visitation, once Janet decides she is comfortable with such.  Or do you prefer Jail visits for Isabella?

Blogged by Melanie Nathan: nathan@privatecourts.com
www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com

Clonaid is a website that advertises “reproductive cloning services”.

I first happened upon the site when adding Google ads to our site. They were text only advertisements, which are automatically displayed depending on the content of your site. Since this is a lesbian website, ads for LGBTs commonly display as well as some for anti-gay’s. It’s all in the keywords.

I was amazed however, when I saw this ad on our page:

Your Child by Cloning
Infertile, Single, Homosexual? we help you to have your own child
www.clonaid.com

Whoa!

Upon looking further into the site here are the services that Clonaid offers:

Clonaid™ is the world’s leading provider of reproductive human cloning services. Eve, the first cloned baby, was born Dec. 26, 2002, thanks to our team of highly skilled scientists. Since then, we’ve been able to help a number of patients have their own children through our cloning technology.

Clonaid™ can help you:

• If you’re sterile and have lost hope of having the child you dream of.

• If you’re homosexual and deeply desire a child who would carry your own genes.

• If you’ve just lost – or are about to lose – a beloved family member and would like to see an identical twin of that person begin a new life.

• If you’re HIV+ and want to have a child that would be your genetic twin – without infecting either the baby or your partner with the virus.

• If you simply want to be cloned, whatever your reasons may be.

This is really blowing my mind!!

I tried to wrap my mind around this. My wife and I have been trying to have a baby for the past few years, and have elected to try to have a child that would be genetically similar to the both of us as possible, thus choosing a donor father who resembles me a lot. We’ve been having a hard time, having lost a pregnancy 2 years ago, and failed tries since then.

Looking at Clonaid as an option for lesbian pregnancy, it really truly freaked me out when I thought about this fully.

Lesbians like me can have a clone of them or their partner, or any other chosen ‘cell donor’, to be implanted in either partner’s womb. The part that freaks me out about this is that the resulting child is not a creation of the parent, rather a replica of a previous creation. That would mean for me, that I would be giving birth to a new version of my wife, or my wife would be giving birth to a new me. Or… we could give birth to our own twin. WOW.

The fact that this is a possibility is truly incredible and I imagine there are circumstances where cloning is helpful.

I just can’t see this being a reality in my life, it would just be too weird to me. I imagine my child would seem like a robot to me, an android if you will; and I think I would always look at that child a little different, possibly with scrutiny.

Other couples, however, have found some benefit from the Clonaid services.

Dr. Brigitte Boisselier, head of the company that leads the Clonaid project, said babies cloned by her company are growing up healthy and normal.

“We’ve helped almost 100 families who were desperate to have a child,” Boisselier said. “Our reward has been to see a number of cloned babies growing up normally, like any infant born through natural reproduction or through in vitro fertilization.”

Some of the little known facts sprinkled around the cloning website:

“Clonaid has been able to find living cells in a body that has been dead for 4 months – there is hope!”

“Clonaid has had huge interest from people of all walks of life including many politicians and celebrities.”

Some of the other services offered by Clonaid:

-Having your cells preserved (Insuraclone™)
-Having your pet cloned (Clone-a-Pet™)
-Purchasing eggs (Ovulaid™)

You can find out more about reproductive cloning by Clonaid at their website here.

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her online by visiting her website at www.juliephineas.com.

One of the downsides of making a baby when you are a lesbian is having to deal with sperm.

Sperm is one of the ingredients you will need when making a baby, and before you can get anywhere in this baby making scenario you are going to need to locate some. There are many issues to consider when locating sperm such as the source of the sperm, the location of your source, and criteria by which you choose which sperm you like or not. Convenient access to your chosen sperm might also be an issue that becomes important to you as well. In addition, becoming comfortable with saying the word ‘sperm’ is definitely a must.

Now, first and foremost the source of your sperm has to be able to make sperm in the first place so only accept sperm from men in their child-bearing years.

Also be sure that your sperm source is disease free, genetically superior, and a magnet for success if possible. When you are ready to begin your search for sperm, keep in mind that not all sperm sources are ideal. Many sources of sperm can in fact bring upon heavy duty side effects such as custody battles, constant reminders of a bad choice, and the occasional appearance on Jerry Springer. Careful consideration is a must when choosing your sperm source, and if needed, get a lawyer. Once you are prepared to begin your search for sperm, make sure you and your partner have a safe word to use instead of ‘sperm’ for when you are talking about it in public.

When you are ready to begin your search, here are some good sources for locating sperm:

- First and foremost number one guaranteed simplest easiest highly recommended successful way to locate sperm is from the sperm bank. You go there, sign up, customize your preferences, and adjust your settings. Make a withdrawal and then have them deposit it. Be careful if your bank has high interest, withdrawals from the sperm bank have been known to double and triple instantly!

- Ask your friend for some. If you’ve got a male friend in his child-bearing years that isn’t doing anything productive with his sperm, ask him if you can have some to put to good use. It helps if you have a good relationship with this sperm source and should know him for at least 3 weeks before asking for his sperm.

- Ask a family member for some. If you are set on having a baby that looks like you, a sperm source that is related to you is a good way do that. Make sure your partner is okay with carrying your cousin’s baby and it’s best if it’s somebody who doesn’t like to attend the family reunions.

- Ask a stranger for some. Take your chances and ask a healthy looking sperm source for his sperm and pray everything works out for the best. Note: This method of locating sperm has a 99.99% rate of failure.

- Ask an ally for some. Take a gay cruise and party with various sperm sources for a few days on board the ship. Get to know who is looking to make a trade, barter, or contribution and pitch your proposal before the ship docks. If you can make the exchange happen on board the ship you are a natural and are well on your way to making babies with your lesbian lover from here on out.

- Take some from the enemy. Pretend you’re straight and narrow. Go on a date with a homophobe, talk him into sinful premarital unprotected sex and take his virginity while you cry and then storm out. You’ll need a few drinks first but it’ll be totally worth it to raise his child with your lesbian lover as a big f*ck you to society!

****Okay I was just kidding about that last one! HaHa******

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her online by visiting her website at www.juliephineas.com.
]]> http://lezgetreal.com/2009/01/lez-make-a-baby-locating-sperm/feed/ 1 http://lezgetreal.com/2009/01/lez-make-a-baby-different-options-for-lesbian-conception/ http://lezgetreal.com/2009/01/lez-make-a-baby-different-options-for-lesbian-conception/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:00:00 +0000 ~Julie Phineas~ http://lezgetreal.com/?p=741 **Warning: Some people may find this post offensive.**

Are you a lesbian looking to expand her family?

Having a baby is a great way to do that!

There are many options for expanding your family, but if you are a woman of child-bearing age, having your own baby is what I recommend. Of course there are other means of expanding your family such as adoption or blending families, but that’s not what this column is about! Lez Make a Baby is all about helping YOU get pregnant, especially if you are a lesbian. (Disclaimer: I don’t think my advice will work if you are a gay man.) That being said let’s get down to business and talk about The Different Options for Lesbian Conception.

You might be surprised to learn that you have options as a lesbian when it comes to conception.

Close minded heteros have made us believe that it takes one man and one woman to make a baby but that is FAR from true. Sometimes it takes one man, one woman, and her lesbian lover!! (Or a turkey baster.) It’s all very exciting! (Unless you melt the turkey baster while sterilizing.) The options really are endless and here are a few different options that I have found for lesbian conception if you are looking to expand your family…

Option #1
Give it the old college try.
Go out for a night with friends, and when your inhibitions are low enough make your move. You don’t have to know him, but be prepared to worry about STD’s if you try this method.

Option #2
Tell HER to do it.
Locate some sperm and give it to your girlfriend. Bend over and brace yourself. It helps if she has a sterile plastic syringe with which to knock you up.

Option #3
Do it your damn self.
Don’t wait around for help. Make an appointment with an IVF specialist and put your feet in the straps. Wait for the news you’re carrying twins and hope she doesn’t leave you.

Be sure to talk this all over with your Ob-GYN to give ‘em a heads up, and don’t forget to eat your wheaties every day no matter what. Healthy babies are in!

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Lez Make a Baby! You can expect more insights in the future on topics to help you make a baby such as locating sperm, the legal challenges of creating people and more. If you have a question you would like to ask you can send an email to lezmakeababy@yahoo.com.

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her online by visiting her website at www.juliephineas.com.