52. Surrogacy: Liberation or Exploitation? with Jennifer Lahl

In recent years, surrogacy has become a staple in the medical field with little regard or thought of the impact surrogacy has on the human reproductive and evolutionary process. This week, I am joined by Registered Nurse Jennifer Lahl in a conversation about the lesser known tribulations that surrogate mothers face in contemporary society including health risks, contractual exploitation, and family breakage. Jennifer Lahl has been studying surrogacy for over 15 years and has assisted in the production of nearly as many films surrounding this highly contentious topic. Join us in our exploration of what surrogacy’s greater impacts are on the human race’s reproductive and evolutionary process. 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. She has three times addressed the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women on egg and womb trafficking. In 2014 Lahl completed what is now a trilogy of films on the ethics of third-party reproduction with Breeders: A Subclass of Women?: https://cbc-network.org/breeders-a-su... , which focuses on surrogacy. In July 2015, she released a documentary short Maggie's Story: https://cbc-network.org/maggies-story/ , which follows one woman’s egg donation journey. Compassion and Choice: Denied (2016):    • Compassion and Choice DENIED  , is a short documentary on physician assisted suicide. Lahl’s next feature film, #BigFertility: https://cbc-network.org/bigfertility/ , was released in the fall of 2018. Her film, Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender?: https://cbc-network.org/trans-mission... released in 2021. Always using film as a way to communicate and educate, her most recent film, The Detransition Diaries: Saving Our Sisters:    • [Official Trailer] The Detransition Diaries   , was released Fall 2022. All of her films are available for FREE streaming on The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network's YouTube channel:    / @cbc-networkorg   . You can follow Jennifer and her work on Twitter @jenniferlahl   / jenniferlahl   or on the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network website, here: https://cbc-network.org/ . Join Jennifer and I in person for a showing of both Affirmation Generation and The Detransition Diaries in Austin Texas on April 21, following a conference hosted by Partners for Ethical Care April 20! Please visit the Partners for Ethical Care event page here for more information. To register for the free film showing on April 21, register to [email protected]. If you enjoyed this conversation, please rate & review it on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share this episode with a friend, or on social media. You can also head over to my YouTube channel, subscribe, like, comment, & share there as well. To get $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover visit https://www.eightsleep.com/ & enter promo code SOMETHERAPIST. Take 20% off your entire purchase of nourishing superfood beverages at Organifi.com with code SOMETHERAPIST. http://organifi.com/sometherapist Be sure to check out my shop. In addition to wellness products, you can now find my favorite books! Wellness Products: https://www.sometherapist.com/shop-we... Bookshop: https://www.sometherapist.com/bookshop MUSIC: Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission. https://www.joeypecoraro.com/ PRODUCTION: Thanks to Eric and Amber Beels at https://www.difmix.com/ PLUS: early access to the documentary I’m proud to be a part of, Affirmation Generation, is now available! Stream, check out the trailer & more at https://affirmationgenerationmovie.com/ Follow Affirmation Generation on Twitter @2022affirmation or Instagram @affirmationgeneration. Please consider making a small donation to support the costs of production. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, plus other perks TBD. Get your first month free with promo code GRANDFATHER; after that, it's only $8/month. Check it out at https://somekindoftherapist.locals.com/