New books for children conceived by assisted reproduction
Added: (Sun Mar 20 2005)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
ATTENTION: PARENTS USING ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNIQUES
WHEN THERE’S MORE TO TELLING YOUR CHILD THAN THE “BIRDS AND THE BEES”
New Children’s Books Available
Parents using assisted reproductive technology to conceive are often faced with the issue of disclosing this information to their child. It can be very difficult to know how and when to disclose this information. The issue becomes more delicate if the couple has used donor eggs, sperm, donated embryos, a gestational carrier or surrogacy.
A new series of children's books have been published to be used as a tool to help parents with this disclosure. The books are called "Before You Were Born...Our Wish For A Baby." There are ten different versions of the books, so the parent can pick the one that is specific to their child. The versions currently available are: In Vitro Fertilization, Frozen Embryo, Donor Insemination, Donor Sperm (IVF), Egg Donation, Embryo
Donation, Traditional Surrogate, Gestational Carrier, and a baby conceived for Female
Partners and Male Partners. The books were written for three to five year old children.
Some literature shows there may be a real advantage to giving information regarding alternative conception to a child at a young age. The information can then be given in a factual, matter-of-fact way. These books not only provide a foundation to build on, but can be read to the child from the beginning. This helps the parents become comfortable with saying the words and can be a "rehearsal" for the future. As the child gets older, the parents can gradually introduce further details. The child then has a progressive understanding and grows up knowing "no differently."
Janice Grimes, a Registered Nurse, wrote the books. She was an IVF patient herself and now works in an IVF clinic in the Midwest. She recently became interested in the moral and ethical issues regarding the disclosure of genetic origins to children. Janice saw that parents who had conceived using assisted reproductive techniques were encouraged to disclose, but were given few tools to assist them. Therefore, she wrote the books to provide a means for parents who wish to disclose this information to their child.
She believes that it is every child's right to know the circumstances and special story that occurred "before they were born.”
The books are published by X, Y, and Me. The company will continue to develop future books for children of assisted reproduction, as science advances and further techniques are developed. For more information, please visit www.xyandme.com.