I’ve been seeing some posts worried about what we might say in the event that we come across a representative that is negative or even hostile about our cause when we enter their office.
I have run across this in Arizona in the form an organization that has tried several times to pass embryo tracking bills so the state knows what fertility clinics are doing with a private medical procedure that most of us are paying for out of our pocket.
I can tell you from reading their policy writings on the subject of infertility that their objections have far less to do with an opposition to building a family as they do with misguided efforts to stop what they see as a deterioration of traditional family values. There is also a misunderstanding of the delicate process that goes into creating and choosing each embryo that will be transferred with the HOPE that it will take root in the womb of a ready, willing and able aspiring mother.
Without going into detail about this opposition, I can say the best way to counter it is to simply thank them for their opinion, and let them know how much you value unborn life—either because you fell in love with your baby the first time you saw their tiny sac at that first ultra sound, or mourn the loss of potential when you get a negative pregnancy test.
The Supreme Court of the United States believes that reproduction is a major life activity. According to their ruling, anything that interferes with that is considered a disability, under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
My wife Lisa wasn’t looking to erode the fabric of the family unit in this country by making our baby in a petri dish. She had an inflammatory disease called endometriosis and I had an unexplained case of azoospermia. All she wanted was to see my eyes in our baby.
When it all comes down to it, what we’re fighting for is that simple. We want to have a fair shot at that major life activity called parenthood, even if our bodies aren’t working the way they are supposed to.
I’ve always been proud to live in a country that was founded on the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That’s exactly what every infertile couple wants: life in the form of a child, the liberty of access to medical treatment for the disease of infertility without breaking us financially, and the pursuit of happiness in those moments that we hope for and ultimately experience when we finally hold our soulbaby.