We Cannot Do It Without You

It’s November, and your local coffee conglomerate is already selling Christmas drinks; the East Coast has been through a devastating storm; and of course, the election season is over. The year is winding down.

And yet our country’s economic woes and political campaign have left non-profits like us hurting. We’re running leaner than usual, but the opportunities keep coming, so CBC activities are full steam ahead. We’re so thankful for your continued efforts to make our work happen.

We continue to lead bioethics in film, as we show Eggsploitation and Anonymous Father’s Day around the country to crowds and crowds of students, legislators, advocates, and activists—most recently at the University of Virginia Law School, Washington, D.C., and the California Independent Film Festival, where Anonymous Father’s Day was nominated for Best Documentary Feature.

It’s rewarding to see the light bulbs go on as viewers realize the crucial issues just under the surface of increasingly common reproductive technology practices. Our filmmaking is about making a connection. Connecting viewers with ideas that change their perspectives and change them. We know that without your support, we couldn’t make connections like that.

Because we have found such an effective medium for communicating the sensitive and often emotionally charged issues in reproductive ethics, we’re currently planning the first phase of production for our next film, which will address the rampant practice of surrogacy. A new “breeder” class of women is being created in the United States, India, and other countries around the world.

Second only to India in the supply of surrogates, the United States has become an epicenter for fertility “tourists” and human reproductive traffickers. We’re hoping to release the new documentary in late 2013. Your support will help make this new film a reality.

In the wake of the election, now is the time to press forward in defense of life and human dignity all the more. The reality remains that the reproductive industry is still unrestrained, young women are coerced into egg donation and surrogacy, and those at “the edges of life”—the very young and the very old—are still vulnerable (consider how close Massachusetts was to passing a physician-assisted suicide measure).

Moral conscience remains under attack, but the CBC will continue to lead a path toward a human future in which the most vulnerable are protected and honored. We work to do more than raise awareness.

We are called to stand up for the exploited, the vulnerable, the sick, the dying. We hope you can see the clear impact you are making through your financial support of the CBC. We simply cannot do it without you.

Warmly,

Jennifer Lahl
President
The Center for Bioethics and Culture