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Action Item: Sign up for ITAF! OR send your young friends to sign up for ITAF!

Talking Point: “I felt used and just like an egg producer. I felt like all they cared about were my eggs and not me and my health and well-being…. I have no clue what has become of my eggs.” ~“Linda” commenting on her experience as an egg donor. This is something to think about before you participate in any aspect of the Artificial Reproductive Technology Industry.

Available now at an Internet near you... Dr. J appears on Issues, Etc., where she and Todd Wilken discuss Arizona's attempts to restrict the online sales of prescription abortion-inducing drugs in their state. (Click the POD icon.)

Lutheran Public Radio: Dr. J is usually on live on Tuesdays from 2-2:15 p.m. Pacific Time (Click the link to listen live or find a station near you.)

May 9--Hosting 1000 AM, KCEO in San Diego 6-7 p.m. Pacific with Bill Duncan, discussing ITAF 2011. Bill Duncan is the director of the Marriage Law Foundation and is a seasoned ITAF speaker.

May 14--Petaluma, CA, Calvary Chapel Petaluma. "Do You Know Where You Stand on Life, Marriage, Religious Freedom?" Sponsored by Christian Worldview Conference.

May 27--Dr. J to speak in Hong Kong (closed event)

June 3--Commencement speaker, Providence Academy High School, Minneapolis, MN (closed event)

June--Phoeniz, AZ. Alliance Defense Fund, Blackstone Legal Fellowship speaker (closed event)

June 14-17--Grand Rapids, MI Acton University speaker

July 28-31--Point Loma, CA. "It Takes a Family" Conference 2011.

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Do you need advice on how to improve your marriage or relationship, or on how to find the right person for you? Expert Dr. J is here for you. Click here to ask your question, which may be featured anonymously in this newsletter for the benefit of all.

Read past questions and answers here.

Need help with your marriage? You can also check out Dr. J's "101 Tips for a Happier Marriage!"

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July 28-31, 2011 in Point Loma, CA. For 18-30 year-olds. (Not in that age range? Tell your friends who are!) The Ruth Institute pays all expenses for accepted applicants! Apply here! 

Reel Love Challenge Fourth Place Winner, Flip Camera Prize

I grew up in California and later fell in love with all the creative arts, including studio art, photography, and eventually filmmaking. I graduated from BYU with a BA in Media Arts Studies and have a passion for using film and other creative talents to further any uplifting cause such as the Ruth Institute's push towards a lasting relationship between a man and woman for life. Families are the most basic and fundamental part of society; they must be protected, cherished, and defended.

~Justin Ahlmann

Jennifer Lahl, CBC President—and Executive Producer, Director, and Writer of Eggsploitation—recently interviewed Linda about her egg donation experience.

Lahl: You told me you saw the ad on Craigslist’s posting by the fertility center, looking for Asian egg donors. What made you answer this ad?

Linda: I thought I fit the description very well: Great grades, college educated, great looks, and genetics. The list could go on for all the ego reasons I would want to do this.

Lahl: Were you in need of money?

Linda: Yes! I had spent $30k to renovate my parents’ old house because it was falling apart, and they did not have the money to fix it themselves, and it was not in living condition for anyone to live in, not even myself. It was in my grandfather’s deed to fix the estate if he were to pass away. He died three years ago, the year before I decided to be a donor.

Lahl: Were you wanting to help someone out?

Linda: I was sitting in the lobby, waiting to get my blood work done for my pre-screening to become an egg donor, and I saw an older couple sitting and waiting to talk to the doctor. Seeing them in the lobby waiting made me realize I was doing something for older Asian couples who could not have children. I figured if I give an act of kindness, I’m saving this couple’s marriage, because I understand in my culture a woman who cannot bear a child is useless. I remembered my mother’s best friend going through this procedure, and this was the only way she was able to bring a baby into this world. I felt like I could help other older Asian women in her shoes.

Lahl: Would you have answered the ad and just “donated” your eggs?

Linda: I probably would have if I knew that there weren’t such horrible, long-term side effects, and if I knew exactly who my eggs were going to (relatives or family). But, I would not just have answered the ad if the money factor wasn’t a part of the equation. I needed the money because my parents were not going to contribute to the renovation.

Lahl: You did three donations in all: one in April of 2009, one in April of 2010, and the last in December of 2010. All three donations were done with the same agency. How did each of the donations go?

Linda: The first time went very easy; the pain wasn’t that bad. However, it still hurt and I had pain in my abdomen, and I couldn’t walk afterward. It took me four hours to wake up. The second time, it hurt a lot almost right after I woke up two hours after the egg retrieval. [I had] the same pain in my abdomen, and I couldn’t walk after. The third time was by far the worst. I woke up two hours after, but the pain hit me four hours later. It hurt so bad I couldn’t walk! Five days later, I had retained so much fluid inside my body, I could not breath right and I could not sleep from the pain in my abdomen. I had to go to the hospital because I felt like I was going to stop breathing and my heart was going to stop. I looked pregnant. This third time, my body just did not want to take the hormones anymore. I know it just wanted to shut down on me.

Lahl: You mentioned that the director of the agency at first was very friendly and pleasant, and then she got very pushy and the doctor wanted to just “pump” you up with drugs to get as many eggs as possible. Tell me more about that, how you were feeling about the treatment.

Linda: I felt used and just like an egg producer. I felt like that all they cared about were my eggs, and not me and my health and well-being.

Lahl: Were you able to advocate for yourself? Did you feel they listened to you and were concerned for your health?

Linda: I don’t think so. They wanted me out of the hospital as soon as possible to take the liability off their shoulders.

Lahl: Tell me about your concerns about where your eggs ended up?

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