Category — Infertility

I am purposely circling back to a relatively recent post and re-publishing it – not to be repetitive but because it is Endometriosis Awareness Month and some may have missed this post from last month. This is an example of a rare “success story” regarding endometriosis patients making their voices heard by the media regarding correction of endometriosis misinformation. In addition to Dr. Neal’s wonderful letter to the editor (and many others that so many of us sent in), I honestly believe that the online endometriosis awareness petition link I sent to the editor didn’t hurt matters any. If you have not yet signed the petition, please take a moment to do so now. Also, please ask your loved ones and friends to add their names in support of endometriosis patients. Thank you!

From February 10, 2010:

Today, I received excellent news from fellow endometriosis patient, Diane Rassmussen Neal, PhD!

One of the letters to the editor recently sent to The Intelligencer (regarding the article discussed in these prior posts Media: Endometriosis Misinformation (Edited) and Endometriosis and Media) was published today. Hers!

This is wonderful news for endometriosis patients, many of whom have been writing such letters to the editor in the last few days.

It is very heartening to know that our voices are being heard and it is exciting that The Intelligencer has printed this letter (headline titled by the paper: “Corrections in “The doctors didn’t even examine me!”)

I am writing about the misinformation provided in the article “The doctors didn’t even examine me!” by Dr. Gifford-Jones, posted on Feb. 4. As a person with very severe endometriosis and a history of ovarian cysts, I was appalled to read that Dr. Gifford-Jones thinks that (1) endometriosis can be diagnosed by a pelvic exam, and (2) the nature of ovarian cysts can be diagnosed by ultrasound.

Endometriosis and ovarian cysts can only be diagnosed by a laparoscopy. I also noted that comments on the article have been closed; hopefully this was not done because of the patients who were starting to correct Dr. Gifford-Jones’ facts. Please see, for example, the Endometriosis Association’s website to confirm the need for diagnostic laparoscopy (Endometriosis Association).

Endometriosis is a widely misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and stigmatized disease. Please do not further hinder the plight of endometriosis sufferers by disseminating incorrect information.

Diane Rasmussen Neal, PhD London, Ont.

The publication of this letter to the editor to The Intelligencer is excellent news because there have been so many occasions where endometriosis patients have written in to various news media outlets about errors regarding endometriosis and been ignored. This time, our voices were heard and feedback about endometriosis misinformation was printed in the same newspaper that had published errors just a few days ago. This is wonderful news!

Yesterday, in my second letter to the editor of The Intelligencer, I included the following petition. I would like to think that the petition didn’t hurt our chances of getting a letter to the editor published. That means if you signed this petition then you helped in our effort to correct the misinformation that The Intelligencer had printed about endometriosis.

If you haven’t signed the petition yet, just click the link below:

I think we should capitalize on this success by getting momentum going so that any time we see endometriosis misinformation in the media, we will band together (as we did in this case) and send in letters to the editor, comments to the online article, etc. This case is a model for what we can do in the future when similar endometriosis misinformation stories appear in the media.

We can make things better by working together! Thank you very much, Diane, for writing a letter to the editor that got the attention of The Intelligencer. Also, thank you to everyone who commented to the online article and/or wrote letters to the editor in this case. By working together to put pressure on this newspaper, we succeeded. The newspaper printed a correction, in the form of Dr. Neal’s letter to the editor. This is a milestone considering how many times in the past many of us have written in to various media outlets expressing our concerns about endometriosis misinformation.

Let’s use this formula in the future. If any of us sees an article that spreads endometriosis misinformation, let’s bring it to each other’s attention. Then, let’s post online comments refuting the errors if that is an option (as it was for this article before the comments were closed). Let’s also write letters to the editor. Finally, in cases like this, I plan to send the link to the online petition (as I did when I wrote my second letter to the editor this time). Let’s keep spreading endometriosis FACTS and do what we can to prevent the spread of endometriosis misinformation.

If we work together, we can improve the way endometriosis is covered in the media. It’s not going to change overnight… but I DO believe by working together that we CAN make a difference!

Thank you!

If you’d like to see the comments that were left to the original post, see this link and scroll down to the comments:

Endometriosis Advocacy and the Media

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

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Over the last few months, I have been alarmed to discover that several people have reached my blog by using search strings such as “endometriosis and suicide”.

I have written about this topic previously:

Endometriosis and Suicide: Awareness

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

I have had several conversations with Endochick about this subject recently. Her blog has also gotten several site visitors who used similar or identical search strings before reaching her blog. We have both been quite alarmed about this. In the case of my blog, I notice such search strings several times a week.

A few days ago, Steph brought a tragic news article to my attention.

I urge you to read this important article, from the Kokomo Perspective.

It is called, “So no one else will suffer”.

In the words of Kristi An Rose’s mother (from the article mentioned above):

“I wanted to help somebody else,” Sherill said. “So no one else has to live that way. I just want everybody to know how much pain she went through, how much she suffered, so this doesn’t happen to anybody else.”

By sharing this article as widely as possible, my hope is that we can honor the memory of Kristi An Rose and prevent this from happening to to anyone else. I encourage you to share her story to increase awareness of the devastation that endometriosis can cause.

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<

As I have written about in numerous other blog posts, multiple states are voting on legislation that would limit or even prevent infertility patients’ access to medical treatment for their infertility.

In light of the fact that a substantial percentage of infertile patients have endometriosis, I am hoping that Endometriosis Awareness Month will bring attention to the growing problem of state legislators trying to take away infertile patients’ rights.

Please see Kelly Damron’s site for more information:

Immediate Action Needed in Oklahoma and Arizona

Thank you.

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<

Recently, I published a post regarding a 13 year old with suspected endometriosis. There was a warm outpouring of support from readers to her. Since it is Endometriosis Awareness Month and since so very many endometriosis patients’ symptoms start at young ages, I thought it would be well worth republishing the post and the many thoughtful, detailed, supportive comments that readers posted to the teen in the following post.

Please be sure to read the comments. Even if you saw the post when it was originally published, you may not have seen all of the follow-up comments that followed.

Post on teen with suspected endometriosis:

Article on teen with suspected endometriosis and the numerous thoughtful comments posted to it by readers

It is wonderful to see an outpouring of support in a situation like this. Together, chronic illness patients (regardless of their specific diagnosis) can band together and support each other. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their supportive and thoughtful words with this 13 year old who is in so much pain.

There is hope and there is support. There are many people who care. You are not alone.

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<

My apologies to my infertile readers for the potentially disturbing blog post title but I feel I must address an article that was just published because it is endometriosis-related.

Why in heaven’s name am I writing a post about girls not being ready to have babies at 14? What in heaven’s name does this have to do with Endometriosis Awareness Month? Bear with me. I will explain what this topic has to do with endometriosis before this post is done.

Novelist Hilary Mantel – (Photo Credit: Martin Pope)

On February 27, 2010 the following provocative article was published:

Novelist says girls are ready to have babies at 14

The article states:

“Hilary Mantel, the prize-winning author, has opened up a public debate over teenage sex by claiming that girls are ready to have babies when they are 14 years-old”.

What??

To quote Hilary Mantel from the article above:

“I was perfectly capable of setting up and running a home when I was 14, and if, say, it had been ordered differently, I might have thought ‘Now is the time to have a couple of children and when I am 30 I will go back and I’ll get my PhD,’” she said.

The article went on to state:

“Last night the writer’s views met with a mixed response amid growing concern that Britain still has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in western Europe, despite a 10-year Government campaign to lower the figures”.

Also in the article was this statement…

Sue MacDonald, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Having a baby is a life-changing experience and 14-year-olds have enough to cope with just being 14.

“Girls of that age can be physically mature but not necessarily psychologically mature to cope with being a mother. It is much harder to be a parent if your own childhood is not complete.”

Another astonishing quote from Hilary Mantel was this:

“Having sex and having babies is what young women are about, and their instincts are suppressed in the interests of society’s timetable”.

Reaction to her comments:

The Department for Children, Schools and Families said the suggestion that girls should have children at 14 was “completely out of line” with Government policy.

So, what does all of this have to do with endometriosis? Why am I writing about this article?

If you read the article mentioned in the beginning of this post, then you may have noticed two references to endometriosis. These references were near the end of the article and mentioned almost in passing. However, that does not mean that the mention of endometriosis in this article is not relevant. It is relevant… even if it seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought in that article.

To quote directly from the article:

Mantel, who was born in Derbyshire, was left unable to have children after suffering from a debilitating and painful illness during her twenties.

It was eventually diagnosed as a severe form of endometriosis and the author is now patron of the Endometriosis SHE Trust.

The novelist, who was awarded a CBE in 2006, said that women should be able to choose whether to have children when they are teenagers or pursue a career and have children later in life.

I do not pretend to know what Hilary Mantel’s intentions or motivations were when she granted this very controversial interview arguing the premise that “girls are ready to have babies at 14″. I never heard of Hilary Mantel before I read this article. Since reading it, I have learned a bit about her devastating experiences with endometriosis. I have the utmost sympathy for Ms. Mantel and from what I read she had a harrowing experience that left her unable to conceive children. This is terribly unfortunate and I cannot imagine what that experience must have been like for her.

However, I think it in unconscionable to advocate for the notion of 14 year old girls to intentionally get pregnant.

When I think of teenage girls in the 14 year old range, I think of them having fun being kids.

I do not think of 14 year old girls as being pregnant, as Hilary Mantel suggests.

Ms. Mantel’s role as the patron of Endometriosis SHE Trust and the fact that it was mentioned in this controversial article is bothersome to me on a level I haven’t covered yet.

Being 41 years old, I am old enough to have read about how pervasive the “pregnancy myth” and “career woman myth” theories in conjunction with endometriosis were years ago.

Years ago, it was commonplace for doctors to “prescribe” pregnancy as a “cure” for endometriosis. When I was single and 24 years old, I was at the hospital for pre-admission testing and a random doctor from the hospital that I had spent less than 2 minutes with told me that the way to “cure” my endometriosis was to get pregnant. That was in the early 1990s.

You can read about the pregnancy-cures-endometriosis myth: HERE.

You can read about the “endometriosis is a career woman’s disease” myth: HERE.

To give just a bit more detail regarding the “career woman’s disease” myth from what I recall reading many years ago (but am unable to find in an online search), the bottom line there was that many of the women who were diagnosed with endometriosis years ago were “career woman” who had the resources to aggressively pursue a diagnosis. Most endometriosis patients consult with 4-5 doctors before getting properly diagnosed with endometriosis. The average endometriosis patient is diagnosed 9.9 years after the onset of symptoms. Sadly, in a society where access to medical care is inequitable, patients can be stereotyped by socioeconomic class. For many years, endometriosis was incorrectly viewed as a “white woman’s disease”… when, in fact, women of all ethnic backgrounds have endometriosis. For years, women of color were misdiagnosed with conditions like pelvic inflammatory disease… when, in fact, it was really endometriosis.

Why am I bringing up these old myths that I would rather forget? I bring them up because the content of the interview with Hilary Mantel talking about how she thinks girls should have babies juxtaposed with the article mentioning that she has endometriosis and is the patron Endometriosis SHE Trust brings up the specter of these myths.

While Ms. Mantel may not come out and say “pregnancy cures endometriosis”, she argues that perhaps things should be re-ordered (having babies and then going back to school). Since she suddenly and tragically lost her fertility, it almost seems like she wishes she had tried to get pregnant at a very young age and is now suggesting that others do so.

Her nonchalant attitude about going back to school at the age of 30 to get a PhD degree offended a fellow endometriosis patient and friend of mine. My friend thought that Hilary Mantel made it sound like a piece of cake to get a PhD. I agreed that Ms. Mantel made it sound pretty effortless to simply “go back to school at 30 and get a PhD” after having had children.

Last but not least, Hilary Mantel has endometriosis. One would think that she’d be aware that a certain percentage of endometriosis patients experience infertility. Therefore, as an endometriosis patient, I find it offensive that Hilary Mantel (an endometriosis patient) is suggesting that girls as young as 14 should intentionally get pregnant. I’m not just talking about the age she is suggesting itself but the fact that she comes across to me as if she’s insinuating that trying to get pregnant at such a young age would automatically be possible (even if it were somehow desired, practical, and responsible). For some endometriosis patients, it might not even be physically possible to do what she suggests. One article I read said that Ms. Mantel’s severe endometriosis symptoms began at 11 years of age. What is it about the age of 14 that Ms. Mantel seems to think is the recipe for success?

Again, I feel very badly that Hilary Mantel went through a terrible ordeal. From what I read, doctors didn’t believe she had a physical problem, drugged her up on psychiatric medications, and did not diagnose her endometriosis when they should have. I also read about her sudden loss of fertility and my heart went out to her. It must have been extremely traumatic.

My concern is that promoting idea of girls as young as 14 years of age getting pregnant (14 is below the age of consent in England, by the way) is irresponsible.

It also concerns me that Hilary Mantel is listed in the article as being affiliated with an endometriosis organization as she shares her controversial views that have to do with reproduction… when endometriosis is a reproductive, immunological, and hormonal condition. Ms. Mantel is entitled to her opinions just as I am entitled to mine (which are quite different from hers). I find it troubling that she made the comments she did at all but to have the endometriosis organization she is affiliated with mentioned in the very same article makes her comments more troubling still.

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<

After evaluating several different ideas for kicking off Endometriosis Awareness Month, I decided to go with a simple post to start.

Therefore, I would like to refer readers to a recent post regarding endometriosis advocacy and the media because a number of endometriosis patients banded together, contacted a newspaper that had printed inaccurate information about endometriosis, and it really made a difference.

As explained in more detail in the following post, the newspaper in question printed a letter to the editor which corrected statements made in the original newspaper article (an original article that was, ironically, written by a gynecologist). I truly believe that one factor that may have helped the newspaper decide to print the correction was that the endometriosis awareness petition with nearly 500 signatures on it was sent to the editor of the newspaper. I believe, after many occasions in the past where such letter-writing campaigns were simply ignored by the media, that the petition you see linked from this very post may well have helped make it harder for the paper to dismiss our letters.

If you missed the post (or the two related posts that preceded it, which are linked from this one), here it is:

Endometriosis Advocacy and the Media

If you have already signed the petition to help spread endometriosis awareness and disseminate endometriosis facts in the media, thank you! Perhaps you have family or friends who would be willing to sign it as well?

If you have not yet signed the petition, please take a moment to do so. There is an optional field where you can leave a comment along with with your signature, if you so choose. There are many fields that are strictly optional. For example, if you do not wish to list your city, you may select the N/G or “not given” option for that field. Simply click on any of the royal blue petition logos in this post to sign. Signing the petition is a very quick, easy process.

You don’t even need a pen to sign this petition. If you’re reading this post, you’re just a click away from signing the online petition.

Anyone wishing to support the estimated 89 million women and girls worldwide who have endometriosis may sign this petition. Men and women, young and old… let’s work together to get as many signatures as possible on it.

The petition text reads as follows:

An estimated 89 MILLION women and girls worldwide have endometriosis! “This makes endometriosis more common than AIDS and more common than cancer“, as per Ohio State University Medical Center. (Source: The Ohio State University Medical Center website).

Yet for years it has remained largely “under-the-radar”. The general public has been largely unaware of it – or misunderstands just how very debilitating it can be. When endometriosis IS mentioned in the media, misleading statements may be made (causing confusion for patients and the public).

We have a duty to educate the public about this life-altering illness by spreading factual information… and by recognizing misinformation and taking steps to address that.

Endometriosis can only be diagnosed via a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy.

Endometriosis awareness is vital! It is equally vital that information disseminated about endometriosis be accurate! In spreading myths and misinformation, endometriosis patients are hurt rather than helped.

The purpose of this petition is endometriosis awareness. ANYONE who wishes to sign it may do so. Whether you are male or female, young or old… if you wish to show support for the 89 million women and girls living with endometriosis, we’d be honored if you’d sign this online petition. If you wish to do so, you may include a comment when you sign. Please spread the word about this petition to others!

* Please note that I do not endorse any organizations. Patients are encouraged to do thorough research before supporting any organization claiming to help women and girls who have endometriosis.

Thank you!

Please click above to access the petition.

Won’t you please join those of us who have already signed this petition or ask others to do the same? The more signatures we are able to gather, the better tool the petition becomes when we write in to various media outlets to make them aware of stories that contain inaccuracies. This petition is a tool for spreading endometriosis facts and pointing out endometriosis misinformation.

Since endometriosis has a long history of being portrayed in the media with extreme and persistent inaccuracy, it is vital for patients to speak up when they see such errors. Having a petition like this is very helpful because of the nearly 500 people who have signed it, many have left heart-wrenching comments that any newspaper editor or reporter would have to be touched by in some way.

Let’s keep using this petition the way we did recently with the newspaper mentioned in the link above. By speaking up together, we can make a difference in how endometriosis is portrayed in the media. This is vital for a condition so poorly understood and so riddled with myths and misinformation.

Thank you!

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<

Yesterday, I watched the bipartisan meeting on health reform. The summit was fascinating to me for many reasons but there was a highlight, for me, in the form of remarks made by Rep. Louise Slaughter. She really stood up for women’s health!

Rep. Louise Slaughter

She boldly spoke up for women at the 2/25/2010 health summit

In my mind, her comments can be appreciated by all women and especially any any female patient who has lived with the effects of gender discrimination in relation to medical research (i.e. lack of research on women or lack of investigating illnesses that affect just women) or cost of healthcare that is tied to gender. I won’t even get into a discussion of how common it is for women’s symptoms to be dismissed when similar symptoms would be taken more seriously for males (i.e. heart disease). The point is that Rep. Louise Slaughter stood up for all women and I was just beyond thrilled that she took the opportunity presented by the summit to address these issues.

My thanks to Diana of the Somebody Heal Me blog for posting this video. When I clicked on the link she posted (to the video below), it took me to the Odd Time Signatures site.

Yesterday, I was so thrilled to hear what Rep. Louise Slaughter said that I resolved myself to scour the Internet today to find a video clip of her at yesterday’s summit. Again, Rep. Slaughter wasn’t just speaking up about health reform.

She was speaking up for female patients everywhere and she was shining light on the fact that medical research studies were done almost exclusively on white males up until a startlingly short time ago, relatively speaking. I believe that any patient with an illness that affects women can appreciate the way Rep. Louise Slaughter spoke up for ALL female patients.

As a patient with numerous illnesses that either affect women alone or that affect more women than men, I was absolutely ecstatic to hear Rep. Louise Slaughter articulate what too few people are aware of… and to hear her do so in such a public forum!

There IS gender discrimination not only in the area of medical research but in the very cost of health insurance itself for women vs. men. Before I had even had a chance to locate a video of Rep. Louise Slaughter at yesterday’s summit, I came across a link from Diana that led me to Odd Time Signatures site.

(Video run time 12 minutes and 59 seconds):

Did you miss the summit? I will warn you up front. It’s long. However, you can scroll through the link below and watch parts of it if you choose to. (This video was just a snippet from the summit).

The link below has the summit, in its entirety, broken down into five video parts. You can watch some or all of it at the link below:

Bipartisan Health Care Meeting

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<

(Photo credit – Getty)

I have written previously regarding healthcare and wanted to take a moment here to post an update on the current situation, for those of you who may not be aware of the status of things at this time.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, I will cite the following post from:

S E N A T U S: Daily Coverage of the United States Senate

See “About Senatus” (taken directly from that site):

Providing daily, non-partisan coverage of the U.S. Senate and the elections which determine its members. This is a private-citizen effort and is in no way affiliated with the federal government.

(Photo credit – Associated Press)

See the following post on the Senatus blog:

Reid Says Reconciliation Likely On Health Reform

According to various news reports, 20 senators have signed so far, calling on Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass the public health insurance option through “reconciliation,” which only needs a simple majority in the Senate. If your Senator is listed as “unknown” on the list below, please consider taking a moment to email or call him/her requesting he/she join the 20 Senators who have already called on Majority Leader Harry Reid, as per above:

Name – ST – Status:

At the risk of sounding like a broken record with yet another post about what RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association is calling “anti-family bills”, I am posting this because it requires immediate attention. Silence is not going to solve this problem.

RESOLVE says:
Attention MI Residents
February 18, 2010 Update
Urgent! Lawmakers need to hear from us – Now!

Here is the email from RESOLVE:

The Michigan Senate is getting ready to vote on some of the worst bills we have ever seen.

Do you want the Michigan government to monitor the number of eggs women produce in infertility treatment? Do you want the Michigan government to track the number of embryos you have, and how you choose to use them in treatment and afterwards? Do you think it should be reported to the Michigan government if you have a miscarriage?

These are unfair intrusions for infertility patients.

Please, drop whatever you are doing and click this link NOW to join RESOLVE in opposing the bills that would make these intrusions the law. People with infertility in Michigan deserve the same respect, options, and privacy as patients in other states!

For details on the bills, including a link to the bill language, visit the RESOLVE website.

Every voice helps and if we have a huge flood of letters, it could make all the difference.

Sincerely,
Barbara Collura
Executive Director, RESOLVE

P.S. Please forward this alert to family and friends who care about protecting the interests of people who are trying to build families! Please also forward to any professionals who you know in Michigan, including your doctor, and urge them to oppose these bills. Take Action Now!

Please spread the word so that we can get as many Michigan residents as possible to speak up in opposition of these bills. Thank you.

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<

As a follow-up to previous posts regarding infertility patients’ rights, here is the official update, from the RESOLVE site, regarding the Arizona legislation I have written about previously (see related links at the end of this post).

RESOLVE says:

Arizona Residents, Updated February 18, 2010

On Wednesday, February 17, the Senate and House Committees in Arizona heard testimony on bills that would dramatically affect egg donor programs in Arizona and medical research. The bills passed both Committees and will now move to the Rules Committee, before they move to a full vote in the Arizona House and Senate. RESOLVE is following the developments very closely and will have updates in the next few days. Please continue to express your opposition to these bills.

It is not too late to express your opposition to these bills.

If you are an Arizona resident or know someone who is, please take a moment to click the yellow badge (below). It will route you to RESOLVE’s page regarding this legislation. From there, you can access links to write to Arizona legislators. Here is the badge:

If you have a blog, please consider posting the badge above and linking it to this site, which posts updates as they come in.

If you are a Facebook or Twitter user (the latter of which I no longer am, as per this link HERE), please share the informative RESOLVE link above with others. There has been surprisingly little buzz in the blogosphere about this legislation. These bills have been moving quickly and I suspect that many are unaware that such landmark legislation is being processed in Arizona as we speak.

Related links:

Arizona Infertility Legislation: Kelly Damron Speaks Out

Arizona Infertility Patients’ Rights In Immediate Peril

Privacy Rights For Infertility Patients (Updated)

This post was written by Jeanne at http://chronichealing.com. Copyright © Jeanne — chronichealing.com. All rights reserved.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” ~~ Robert Fulghum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for supporting this blog by shopping Amazon via my ads & spreading the word to others! So many of you have done so in these last couple of months; I greatly appreciate your support!!

Thank you for your blog comments!

New to blog commenting? Just click “comments” below the post. If you grab a Gravatar, your picture will show with your comment.

>> Stumbling & tweeting my blog posts is greatly appreciated! <<