Dear Friend,
I know that this letter probably finds you, like all of us at the CBC, gearing up for what’s ahead this Fall. Before I get to that, though, I have BIG news. My last letter updated you on the good news that New Jersey Governor Christie and Louisiana Governor Jindal vetoed surrogacy bills.
On August 13, California Governor Brown vetoed a bill that would have allowed women in his state to be paid to sell their eggs for scientific research. In fact, he opened his veto letter by saying (correctly!), “Not everything in life is for sale nor should it be.” To say this news brought the CBC team to our knees is an understatement. His veto letter is framed and hanging in our office!
This veto is particularly significant as we are in the final stages of preparing to release an updated version of our award winning documentary film, Eggsploitation. One of the new stories in the film is of a young woman who was harmed in “donating” her eggs for research. I know you’ll want to get a copy as soon as we release it.
I am currently emailing with a Kansas State Senator to prepare testimony for a bipartisan bill that will address harms and abuses around third-party reproduction. We hope to not only oppose bad bills but also to support good legislation like this. Your gifts help pass ethical bills!
The District of Columbia continues to consider the legalization of surrogacy there, and we stand ready and willing to help those opposing such a move. This summer we’ve been working behind the scenes with people on the ground in D.C. in order to be prepared when the D.C. Council comes back into session.
Also this Fall we will be test-piloting new curriculum that will accompany each of our films. We’ve had many requests for curriculum to accompany the films. This will increase the films’ impact on students or anyone wanting to take the time to dig deeper into the issues the documentaries raise. We heard their need and your generosity allowed us to respond.
We just wrapped filming on a new film on surrogacy, and we are now moving into the editing room to put it all together. It will take many weeks of work by a team of people to finish the film, but I am so excited for you to meet and hear from the women in this film.
Last but not least, I am pleased to report that after much research and work, our documentary on sperm donation, Anonymous Father’s Day, is now available to watch online. We’ve set the price at $1.99 so that as many people as possible can see this important film. You can visit http://AnonymousFathersDay.com for links to view the film. And please share this link with your friends. We need you to help us spread its important message.
As you can see, your gifts have enabled the CBC to have a huge impact. Our agenda for the Fall months is very full. I need your support now so that the CBC team can continue to push forward on all of these fronts. Perhaps you might consider making a monthly pledge to help us move forward with even greater confidence.
Thank you,
Jennifer Lahl
President
The Center for Bioethics and Culture
Your generous and timely gift is tax deductible.
PS — Your gifts make all this work possible. Any gift will help us further our mission to serve a human future.
Author Profile

- Jennifer Lahl, MA, BSN, RN, is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Lahl couples her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and a senior-level nursing manager with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. Lahl’s writings have appeared in various publications including Cambridge University Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and the American Journal of Bioethics. As a field expert, she is routinely interviewed on radio and television including ABC, CBS, PBS, and NPR. She is also called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, even being invited to speak to members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address issues of egg trafficking; she has three times addressed the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women on egg and womb trafficking.
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