Them Before Us Podcast

In this episode, Jenn and Katy discuss the chapter "Adoption" from Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children's Rights Movement. If parents have a right to their biological mother and father, isn't TBU against adoption? The case is made that adoption is a good for society when it is properly understood and done with the rights and needs of the child in mind; Adoption treats the child as the client. It is strongly contrasted with the third-party reproduction industry, which makes children the products for adults.

Katy and Jenn take on two trending news articles from the perspective of the rights of the child. The first story is about Dylan, the dad of at least 96 children who goes on a road trip to meet them, navigating relationships with the social parents and his own feelings of disconnection and loss. The second story is considering the ethics of desiring and having biological children. Is wanting your own children a vestige of white supremacy, racism, or eugenics?

A Sperm Donor Chases a Role in the Lives of the 96 Children He Fathered by Wall Street Journal

Preferring Biological Children Is Immoral by Wired

Wired Contributor Claims “Preferring Biological Children Is Immoral” by Evie Magazine, featuring commentary from Katy Faust

Jenn and Katy continue their discussion of each chapter in Them Before Us Why We Need a Global Children's Rights Movement. This week, they tackle the ethical questions surrounding surrogacy: is it an altruistic pursuit that helps women unable to conceive or who, for whatever reason, cannot bring a pregnancy to fruition? Or is surrogacy an ethical violation that commodifies women and children?

Jenn and Katy discuss chapter 7 of Them Before Us, Why We Need a Global Children's Rights Movement, the dark side of Donor Conception. They explore the reality of gamete "donation" to Big Fertility, and the immoral practice of purchasing sperm and eggs in an effort to customize children. Them Before Us encourages our children’s rights advocates to consider the myriad potential harms to women who donate eggs, the women who rent their wombs for gestation, and the potential mental and physical health crisis possibilities of a child with potentially hundreds of half siblings living in their vicinity, and other ethical questions Big Fertility would prefer we all ignore.

Jenn and Katy address one of the most pervasive lies in popular culture, the myth that there’s “no difference” in outcomes for children raised by same-sex parents when compared to children raised by their own mother and father.

In our first Q&A bonus episode, Katy addresses questions we’ve received from our followers on social media:

Jenn and Katy tackle a societal issue that has impacted the majority of the population, Chapter Five from her book Them Before Us: Divorce. They explore how much divorce hurts children, and how it impacts every aspect of their lives, from academics, to their physical and mental health; they make the case that divorce must be the last resort for any adults that have the best interest of their children at heart. This episode provides the information and tools needed to effectively discuss this heavy topic and hope for those who want to break the cycle.

Jenn and Katy discuss the true definition of marriage, the importance of the marital institution as it relates to the rights of children, and the socio-cultural impact that followed the 2015 SCOTUS decision that redefined it.. . They explore poly-relationships, cohabitation, no-fault divorce, and where the blame truly lies for the dismal state of marriage in the west.

Jenn and Katy continue to unpack chapters of Them Before Us; Why We Need a Global Children's Rights Movement. This podcast expounds on Chapter Three: Gender Matters. They deep dive into the cultural “gender is a social construct” nomenclature, and make the case that “parenting” is a misnomer; the reality is that “parenting” is best defined as “mothering” and “fathering.”

Jenn and Katy editorialize on two trending news stories that circulated this past month and consider them from the perspective that’s usually missing: the children's. Today’s episode explores the difficulty in the quest to procure a “good sperm donor”, and whether “reciprocal IVF” can satisfy the profound longings children have for familial connection.

Esquire article: https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a44519929/sperm-donor-search-what-i-learned-about-men/

People Magazine article: https://people.com/couple-carrying-each-others-baby-reciprocal-ivf-give-birth-days-apart-my-extraordinary-family-7556199