by Merry Armentrout
Fall is here (at least in New England). The leaves are starting to change color, the air is getting crisp and my TiVo is ready to roll. I have a handful of favorite shows, and last week was full of season premiers for the fall line-up. Idon't consider myself a TV junkie, but do relish those few hours a week where I'm able to see what kind of trouble my favorite characters (fictional and real) get themselves into and out of.
I wrote a blog on the TV show Glee last season. I think the show is wonderful, but I'm actually more impressed with the subjects the show broaches- infertility, adoption, LGBT family building, to name a few. These are the things The American Fertility Association supports, and the conversations we want to take place in the mainstream- such as a prime time TV show.
You can also find these conversations on Wisteria Lane. Desperate Housewives capped off season six with Gaby, played by Eva Longoria, offering to donate her eggs to a gay couple, but at the last minute changes her mind, causing the Lee and Bob to break-up. Though this television show is fictional, the issues it raises are reality for many people.
The AFA is dedicated to educating and supporting all men and women concerned with family building - including hopeful lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents. One way this is achieved is through third party reproduction. There are many reproductive options for gay men and lesbian women, including a resource directory to find such services.
I have to admit, I'm a bit biased toward Desperate Housewives. Brenda Strong, the voice of Mary Alice Young on the show, is the national spokesperson for The American Fertility Association. Strong struggled with infertility, and found yoga helped alleviate the stress brought on while undergoing fertility treatments.
It might seem like a little thing, including infertility and family building in a TV show. But it's the little things that become part of the bigger picture in today's reality for hopeful parents.
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