We really need your support today. The workload is tremendous, the stakes are high.
Any gift, no matter how large or how small, will help us now.

Some days can be a challenge. Days like this . . .

I woke up recently to a message in my inbox from someone named Ashley: “Are you aware you are a piece of trash? Or does trash not know it’s trash?”

She then ramped up the heat and called me a con artist with no life.

I guess Ashley is not a fan of our work here at the CBC.

I posted her remarks on Facebook where many friends immediately came to my defense with kind words of encouragement, words that reminded me just how important our work is and that let me know they are glad we are standing in the gap.

Make no mistake, this is the toughest work I have ever done. It’s unpopular work. Just watch how fast people run away at cocktail parties when I’m asked what kind of work I do!

It’s work that many people simply don’t get. Bioethics? Bio-what? Surrogacy? Oh my sister had a surrogate and it was wonderful! Assisted suicide? You mean you want people to suffer?

It’s work that very few are willing to fund and support. We are told over and over again how much we get done on so little. My only response is, can you imagine how much we would get done if we had more funding?

Did you know that we are a staff of one full-time employee, one ¾ time employee, and about 10-15 hours a week of administrative support and some contract support to run our Paul Ramsey Institute? Our 2017 budget is a little over $300,000. That’s it!

Yet we’ve already hosted a huge event in New York City, spoken at the U.N., traveled to Madrid to lead efforts against legalizing surrogacy there, which included meetings with all four of the political parties in Spain.

And we held our first alumni meeting for our Paul Ramsey Institute project—an intensive, two-year training and mentoring program for early career professionals entering law, medicine, or an academic life.

We also are in production of our next documentary film. With your support, we will travel to South Dakota to film the last of our interviews. Then we will script, edit, and release the film.

All this on a shoestring budget. Doing unpopular yet important work.

Doing work that no one else is doing, standing in the gap between human dignity and human commodification. Protecting and valuing each and every life, fighting against those who would make use of some lives for the benefit and gain others.

 

We need your support. Frankly, we can’t continue on without your support. We have squeezed our pennies and stretched every dollar. We are depending on you to help us continue this work.

If you can, please consider becoming a monthly supporter too. Introduce us to friends of yours who may want to support us. Perhaps you’d be willing to host a gathering in your home where I can come and meet new people and tell them about our work?

Can I count on your support now?

Jennifer

PS: Can you imagine how much we would get done if we had more funding?
Please send a gift or sign up to be a monthly donor right now.

Simply put, the Center for Bioethics and Culture needs your financial support. We exist to collaborate in providing resources and a public forum to educate our culture about the impact of biotechnologies, engage in dialogue and conversations about what it means to be human, and to challenge those who influence our culture to use science and technologies grounded in moral responsibility.

Unlike many organizations, our overhead is quite minimal. We have no buildings to maintain and have leveraged your financial gifts to maximize our effectiveness like no other! Literally, dollar for dollar, your support goes directly to getting the job done. We are proud of our accomplishments and promise you that your gifts will be used wisely.

Please consider supporting the CBC:
Online: Set up monthly donations or give a one-time donation by credit card using the buttons above.

Mail: Checks can be mailed to the CBC Network at
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Other: Contact us directly at 925-407-2660 or info@cbc-network.org for gifts of stock, employee matching contributions, include CBC in your estate plans.

The Center for Bioethics and Culture is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Our financials, 990s, etc. are available through GuideStar.

Your gifts make our work possible.

 

 

Author Profile

Jennifer Lahl, CBC Founder
Jennifer Lahl, CBC Founder
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.