An open letter written by Canadian Fertility Consultants

Open letter written by Canadian Fertility Consultants:

Below is the official news release that accompanies the letter...

Leia Picard Defends Parents Against "Sexual Predator" Charges

BRIGHTON, ONTARIO, October 2, 2012 -- Leia Picard, CEO of Canadian Fertility Consultants, spoke out against Anna S Newman and "other bullies from the lunatic fringe" who wish to block surrogate mothers and egg donors from helping infertile parents.

Newman's article "The New Sexual Predators", published by the Witherspoon Institute, warns parents that "older women with more power and resources" and "our gay friends and family members may now also be after our daughters’ bodies."

Calling Ms. Newman's tirade "phony fear-mongering" and "homophobic nonsense", Picard posted an open letter on her blog denouncing such attitudes and questioning how an unresearched article could be published on an Institute's website.

"As a Mom of two amazing daughters, who were conceived so easily, I couldn't imagine not sharing them with the world,' Picard says. "By donating my eggs, I was able to share that gift with others... That's what surrogate mothers do. That's what egg donors do. Is Ms. Newman suggesting that every time we share, we are victims? Is she suggesting that anyone who receives a gift, who benefits from charity, who accepts a helping hand is a predator?"

Both surrogacy and egg donation are legal in Canada and the United States, and are controlled by laws to protect all parties involved. They are always conducted by mutual consent through approved clinics and rarely would the two parties know each other in advance. The donors and the surrogates are almost always volunteers who seek out these roles of their own motivation.

In her letter, Picard says," I fail to see the violence in volunteers offering what they have to people they do not even know who need it. I DO see the violence in trying to block consenting adults from volunteering." She also shares the reactions of real surrogate mothers and egg donors, who are clearly not impressed:

"OMG...is this person for real???? I can't believe people actually can think up things like that!"

"Hmm, I don't feel like a rape victim... I seem to remember WILLINGLY looking into HOW to become a donor AND a surrogate, all by my big girl, adult self. What a ridiculous, and poorly written..."

"WOW!!!! No one would ever be FORCED to do something like egg donation anyways.... it's a choice.... shall we define the word sexual predator??"

Picard's letter can be found in its entirety here.

Canadian Fertility Consultants is a full service consulting firm, for over 4 years helping couples with difficulty conceiving naturally to build families. They take a holistic approach, putting the right team in place to support people through their journey of building a loving family. Learn more here.