Baby Dreaming

Published on September 3rd, 2019 | by Cara Gormally

2

Beyond the Turkey Baster: A Queer Mom Dishes on Donor Sperm

A chapter from Science, Luck & Love: How Two Moms Made a Baby

By Cara Gormally

References:

• Brewaeys, A. J.K. de Bruyn, L.A. Louwe, F.M. Helmerhorst. 2005. Anonymous or identity-registered sperm donors? A study of Dutch recipients’ choices. Human Reproduction. 20(3):820-824. https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/20/3/820/2356639

• CDC 2017. Unmarried Childbearing. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/unmarried-childbearing.htm

• Donor Sibling Registry. 2019. https://www.donorsiblingregistry.com/about-dsr/our-members
• Freeman, Tabitha, Sophie Zadeh, Venessa Smith, Susan Golombok. 2016. Disclosure of sperm donation: a comparison between solo mother and two-parent families with identifiable donors. Reproductive BioMedicine Online. 33(5): 592-600. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1472648316304527

• Frith, Lucy, Eric Blyth, Marilyn Crawshaw, Olga van den Akker. 2017. Secrets and disclosure in donor conception. Sociology of Health & Illness. 40(1): 188-203. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1467-9566.12633

• Kalampalikis, N.,M. Doumergue, S. Zadeh, French Federation of CECOS. 2018. Sperm donor regulation and disclosure intentions: Results from a nationwide multi-centre study in France. Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online. 5:38-45.

• McGovern, Peter G. & William D. Schlaff. 2018. Sperm donor anonymity: a concept rendered obsolete by modern technology. 109(2): 230-231. Fertility and Sterility. https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(17)32127-1/abstract

• Millner, Vaughn, Madhuri Mulekar, Julio Turrens. 2015. Parents’ Beliefs Regarding Sex Education for Their Children in Southern Alabama Public Schools. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 12(2): 101-109.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13178-015-0180-2

• O’Hagan, Maureen. 2019. From Two Bulls, Nine Million Dairy Cows. Scientific American. June 20, 2019. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-two-bulls-nine-million-dairy-cows/

• Schrijvers, Anne, Henny Bos, Floor van Rooij, Trudie Gerrits, Fulco van der Veen, Monique Mochtar, Marja Visser. 2017. Being a donor-child: wishes for parental support, peer support and counseling. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology. 40(1): 29-37. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0167482X.2017.1396313

• US Census. 2018. United States Census Bureau Quick Facts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/LFE046217

• US Census. 2017. United States Census Bureau. Same-Sex Couples. https://www.census.gov/topics/families/same-sex-couples.html

• US Census. 2010. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2010/compendia/statab/130ed/tables/11s1336.pdf

• U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Artificial Insemination: Practice in the United States: Summary of a 1987 Survey—Background Paper, OTA-13P-BA-48 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, August 1988). http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk2/1988/8804/8804.PDF

• Van den Akker, Olga. 2006. A review of family donor constructs: Current research and future directions. Human Reproduction Update. 12(2): 91–101.  https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmi038

Tags: baby dreaming, Cara Gormally, Comics, donor sperm, lesbian moms, Love, luck, queer family, science

About the Author

Cara Gormally

Cara Gormally is a biology professor who draws comics to make science relevant to everyday life. Their autobiographical science story comics have appeared on Medium’s Spiralbound and at Popula, among other places. See more on Instagram and at caragormally.com. Their debut book, REBOOT, will be published by Street Noise Books in 2025.

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