The Eggsplanation

Ever wonder what those Third Party Reproductive Attorney's actually do?  Well...join me as I have a frank discussion with Amani Hanson JD,  a veteran of Assisted Reproductive Technology Law and what her tenure in the field has taught her and some of the biggest challenges she has encountered in the field. Amani Hanson earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Texas Tech University prior to pursuing her legal education. She received a Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award from the National Institutes of Health for her work in researching Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and has been published in the Journal of Neuroscience Methods. Amani completed a J.D./M.B.A. dual degree program at Rutgers School of Law and School of Business - Camden, marking the commencement of her legal career. You can find her at www.vmfirm.com/attorney/hanson-amani-t/

We've all heard about "Test Tube" babies!  And we know that in reality, they are actually created in a "Petri Dish"!  Now we have a wonderful children's book entitled, "Petri Dish Princess" which brings to life the story of Elizabeth Carr.  Elizabeth was the very first baby born from IVF in the United States.  Ali Prato, journalist and author has collaborated Elizabeth to tell the story of beginning life in a....Petri Dish!  Author, Ali Prato, will tell her own story of secondary infertility and how she started her company, www.infertileafgroup.com Ali says she is on a mission to normalize infertility and help people feel supported throughout their journey.  In addition to the soon to be released "Petri Dish Princess", Ali has published 3 other children's book about different journey's to parenthood.

On today's episode of The Eggplanation, we have a sit-down with Marna Gatlin, the founder of PVED or Parents via Egg Donation.  A non-profit started by Marna as a way to provide education, support, referrals and a host of other much needed assistance in the world of Egg Donation.  Today, Marna tells us about the challenges and great moments she has experienced in her 20+ year career in helping people become parents.  Now, she is onto a new challenge but the fate of PVED remains a bit unknown.  You can visit the website at:  www.pved.org

After a brief hiatus to venture to Asia to see the sights, Mary is BACK and starts a discussion about ethical issues in egg donation and Third Party Reproduction with her own COO, Julia French Blockhus.  Julia joined The Donor Solution in 2014 and has her own perspective on some of the ethical issues facing Third Party Parenting in 2026.   We delve into a couple of case histories and Julia offers her own perspective on the intricacies in the balancing act known as Reproductive Autonomy for prospective parents and Justice for the resulting children. A graduate of Lake Forest College, Julia began her career in Los Angeles in the Film Industry before landing in Reproductive Medicine.

The ongoing Ethics Scandals in the Surrogacy and Egg Donor world has shaken not only Intended Parents trust in the system but all the stakeholders in helping Parents realize their dream of family. In PART 2 of our series on Escrow Scandals in the Third Party Parenting world, we have the amazing Adam Winder, is President and CEO of SEED TRUST escrow and affiliated companies. With over 15 years experience in Financial Services, Adam has built a company with the core values of ethics and financial stability.  Its great to hear his "take" on these escrow scandals that keep happening in the fertility world.

Once again we are faced with a scandal of huge proportions with another bad player absconding with Intended Parents and Surrogates funds.  Many lost their life savings and have no way to move forward with Family Building and many were in the middle of their journey with no more funds to compensate the woman carrying their long awaited child.  Out guest today, Micheal Snaric, of "Families Out Loud", will discuss this issue and the ethical ways the fertility professionals can be the change we all want to see in the industry.

For the last of our series on "How old is TOO OLD to have a child via IVF" we will be discussing the medical concerns that face older women during pregnancy and how those medical issues can be detrimental to the baby AND the mother.   My guest, Dr. Traci DeSplinter, has a long career as an OB/GYN and I was fortunate to work with her early in my career in fertility.  She has delivered in her practice not only older women carrying their own baby, but gestational carriers and "older" gestational carriers too and knows the pitfalls and emergencies that can happen in a "blink of an eye" to jeopardize both mother and baby. You can learn more about Dr. Traci and her newest endeavor, at #refinedwomenshealth (on IG) and her approach to women's health and wellness during peri-menopause and beyond!

In our continuing series on "How OLD is too OLD to become a parent via IVF" I have a discussion with Rachel Goldberg, a Mental Health professional, who has tackled these complex and emotional issues in her practice.  Rachel brings a different perspective to the discussion from the legal and parenting views and you won't want to miss her insightful thoughts on this divisive issues amongst fertility care professionals. Rachel Goldberg, LMFT, PMH-C, is the founder of Rachel Goldberg Therapy in California.  Her practice specializes in Infertility, postpartum issues, couples and third-party parenting and family building.

Welcome to the 2nd Episode in our series on "How OLD is too OLD to Parent via IVF" with our guest, Stephanie Caballero, JD.   Stephanie helps us take a deep dive into the nuances of older parenthood and what we can and can not provide for these late stage parents.  We dive into a bit of Reproductive Justice (again!) while also discussing what it means to be the child of older parents and the issues that will probably crop up as the child grows into adulthood.

The idea of Reproductive Autonomy, which means YOU decide what to do with your body, is at the heart of parenting.  But is there a time when it's just too late, or that "ship has sailed"?  We will start our four part series on these very questions with a chat with Mira Seldner, a new parent of two, with an older partner.  We explore their journey to parenthood and the issues that having an older partner raises and the questions that older parenthood brings up.  

By whatever name you call, "Planned Surrogacy", "Social Surrogacy", "Designer Surrogacy" or even "LifeStyle Surrogacy", everyone can agree its a controversial subject with both the morality and the ethics of the practice called into question.  Today we discuss with two experts the choices people make when pursuing surrogacy as well as the pros and cons of choosing Surrogacy By Choice.  Dr. Angela Lawson and Dr. Debra Simmons will join me as we dig a bit deeper into this fascinating intersection of reproduction, autonomy and beneficence.  

Following up on our theme from the last episode, GENES and GENETIC screening and the BIOETHICS involved, this episode will by an in-depth look at Genetic Counseling and the good, the bad and the ugly of GENES.  Our guest from GENE-SCREEN, Emily Daugherty, will help us understand what genetic counseling does and doesn't do and does it support the BIOETHIC principles of Justice and Autonomy.

So what's all the hype about PGT?  Can it tell which is the best embryo?  Will it pick out the smartest and tallest embryo?  Is it overused and just an add-on in IVF?  Join us as we explore the world of PGT with Dr. Gary Harton, Chief Scientific Officer of NoVA Genomics and Founder and Principal of GROW Consulting and why PGT is BENEFICENCE in action.

Join our host, Mary Fusillo, for a fascinating look at the ethics and issues behind posthumous reproduction.  With the very sad case of a brain-dead woman being forcibly kept alive via mechanical means for over 15 weeks due to abortion laws in her home state prominent in the news to the use of sperm from non consenting males, our guest, Dr. Lisa Campo-Engelstein, the Chair of the Department of Bioethics and Health Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, will discuss what she sees as issues with Autonomy and Beneficence with posthumous reproduction. AND....take a look at her newest book, "SEMINAL, on Sperm, Health and Politics at this LINK:  SEMINAL, on Sperm, Health and Politics          

On this episode of "The Eggsplanation" I welcome two veteran egg donors who will help me dig down into what disclosure in gamete donation means to them and what their thoughts are on the genetic connections they have to the children created with their help.

In Episode Two of “The Eggsplanation”, Mary discusses two bioethical principles, Justice and Beneficence in gamete donor cycles with a Third-Party Parenting attorney and the evolution from anonymous donor cycles to known or open cycles with the owners of an Egg Donor and Surrogacy agency that has started down a new path in sperm donation.           Rose Pondel joins us to break down the various legal contracts that donors can enter prior to donating and what each can mean for the donor, the Intended Parents and the child and then Darlene Pinkerton and Kaitlin Pinkerton-Locher pick up the conversation and discuss how they are taking on the traditional field of sperm donation with known sperm donors, a departure from traditional anonymous cycles.

Mary Fusillo, RN, BSN, MS, introduces you to bioethics at the intersection of fertility and reproduction.   Stay tuned for our first full episode, coming in late May.