Kathleen LaBounty’s story | “At the age of 8, I learned about my conception history.”

by Them Before Us | Apr 15, 2017 | EXPORT, Stories

As an adult offspring of an anonymous sperm donor, I am telling pieces of my life story to provide the perspective of an offspring, to advocate for the needs of future offspring, and to expose relatively ignored complexities resulting from donor conception. My journey...

Jessica Kern’s story | “We want to know who gave birth to us and what they are like.”

by Them Before Us | Apr 15, 2017 | EXPORT, Stories

My name is Jessica Kern. I am a product of a traditional surrogacy. This is where a surrogate is hired to both donate her egg and carry the child to term… As a product of surrogacy I can tell you firsthand what we children of donor conception go through....

Brian C.’s story | “I don’t care why my parents did this. It looks to me like I was bought and sold.”

by Them Before Us | Apr 15, 2017 | EXPORT, Stories

My name is Brian and I am the son of a traditional surrogate, a biological father, and an adoptive mother. I think all of you here need to know how I feel about surrogacy.  I have read a certain popular surrogacy board since I was 16 and I am almost 18 now. I was...

Becky’s story | “Maybe my father simply couldn’t bear the fact that I was another man’s child.”

by Them Before Us | Apr 15, 2017 | EXPORT, Stories

My parents separated when I was very young — still a baby — and I was brought up by my mother with very little financial or emotional input from my father, though I did see him regularly throughout my childhood. Nevertheless, by the time I was 18 I had pretty much...

Alana Newman’s story | “After a wrenching divorce, I never again saw that ‘dad’ of mine.”

by Them Before Us | Apr 15, 2017 | EXPORT, Stories

I remember the first time I struggled to understand the ethics of a case involving reproductive technologies. I was five years old, folding clothes in my bedroom with my mom. She told me that my dad was not my biological father. My biological father was an anonymous...