In Vitro Fertilization
...it's personal
The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. Individual states can now create laws regarding reproductive rights, and some states are enacting legislation that could impact In vitro fertilization (IVF).
Infertility impacts around 15% of the population. Odds are, you or someone you know has experienced this heart-wrenching condition. Also, odds are a certain percentage of those reading these words have held a newborn in your arms who would not have been born without the assistance of IVF.
Raise your hand. Let’s make this issue real by hearing from those who could be or would have been impacted
On Monday, we will have a very personal conversation about this with retired therapist Mary Riche, who worked with individuals and couples dealing with infertility.
Subscribers will receive a link to the Zoom call on Monday morning. If you know of someone who will want to engage in this discussion, please share this column with them.
Don’t be fooled by politicians who say they are in favor of IVF but don’t vote to protect the rights of prospective parents to freeze or discard embryos.
Elections have consequences.
What started this scramble is a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court on February 15 declaring that frozen embryos are legally considered children, which calls into question IVF treatment because they are both frozen and discarded.
For more on this shocking development, here’s a link to a story in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/the-alabama-supreme-courts-ruling-on-frozen-embryos
It’s Personal but Political
Do you want the Iowa legislature meddling in your right to have access to IVF treatment? The very body that thinks it’s ok for the school lunch staff to pack a gun? I’ve gone through the list of teachers I can remember growing up, and I can’t think of one of them I’d trust having a loaded gun in their desk drawer. I can think of quite a few of my classmates who would have figured out where he/she/they kept it, and loved pulling a prank or two, or stolen it. Present company included.
“Bueller, Bueller, Bueller!”
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative member Daniel Finney, a former Des Moines Register columnist, teaches in a Des Moines middle school. This week, he writes about the reality of said legislation for school employees and students.
Join the growing number of readers interested in Iowa by subscribing to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative roundup. This column is delivered Sunday mornings and features links to posts by several of our members.
Educational Tourism
Do you like to learn? How would you like to take a three-day vacation to Okoboji Iowa and hang out with a bunch of smart writers, authors, poets, agents, editors, and songwriters. You’re bound to learn a thing or two. And, it will be seriously fun.
Make new friends on a sunset cruise around the lake, or break bread with a Pulitzer winner who is there to help you tell your stories — whatever your skill level.
Why the heck not come? This is a rare opportunity for an equal measure of fun and personal development:
https://okobojiwritersretreat.com
The songwriters track is new this year, and we have 13 professional musicians coming from around the country, all with the mission to help YOU write a song and or get a gig. There will also be panels designed for professional performers to share best practices
