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Editor’s Note: Alisyn Camerota is a CNN anchor and anchor of CNN’s “Newsroom.” The views expressed here are her own. Read more commentary at CNN. “CNN Special Report: Child Trafficking” airs Monday, September 5 at 9 PM ET on CNN.
CNN
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About one in 50 babies born in the United States is conceived in a birthing clinic or laboratory, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Among them are my own twins.
It’s been a long time since I first went public with my maternity journey. As newlyweds, my husband and I struggled to conceive for three years. After two miscarriages and three failed rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF), I was devastated.
I kept our fight a secret then. I still felt the stigma and silence surrounding infertility. Not knowing how many other people had gone through this, I felt alone.
In the year In 2005, IVF finally worked, and my twins were born. Thirteen months later, more shock: I was pregnant with my third child – naturally. Filled with gratitude, I started a peer support group through RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. I vowed to do whatever I could to help other infertile people feel less alone.
15 years later, I am relieved that much of that stigma is gone these days. With celebrities like Michelle Obama, Amy Schumer, Gabrielle Union, Brooke Shields and more, the stigma of infertility seems to be slowly disappearing. In addition, American women are giving birth later in life, and LGBTQ+ couples and singles are raising families at an unprecedented rate.
It’s no surprise that assisted reproductive technology (ART) has doubled in the past decade, according to the CDC. There is no doubt that Fertility Field has been a miracle drug for many people, including myself.
But it was also the starting point for occasional horror stories and tragic mistakes. Now, as the multi-billion dollar fertility industry continues to grow, there are people calling for more regulation, regulations and legislation.
For the documentary “CNN Special Report: The Baby Business,” we spoke to amazing people with amazing stories: siblings of donor-conceived children, an egg donor with 27 known genetic children, and families in crisis. They say it’s the industry’s lack of regulation.
Laura and David Gunner are a couple from upstate New York. In the year In 2020, they lost their 27-year-old son Steven to a fatal opioid overdose after a long battle with schizophrenia and mental health issues. More than a year after his death, they found details about an unknown sperm donor they used in the 1990s. The tragic details of the donor’s life were very similar to their son’s. That sperm donor was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was in a mental institution before donating his sperm. He died of an opioid overdose at the age of 46.
It was shocking to find out those details about their donors. It is shocking that the medical history of the donor was fabricated. But what they learned about the industry was even more surprising: sperm banks are not required to verify self-reported medical information provided by donors. The Gunners decided to take action. Now, they are pushing for “Steven’s Law” at the federal level and in New York State to pass the “Donor Conception Protection Act.”
Critics of the law, such as Dr. Jaime Shamonky, chief medical officer of California CryoBank, say the new rules and regulations will likely increase costs for excessive procedures, protect donors and generally limit access to fertility drugs. “You may be driving without realizing the cost of sperm production. Or it will put some of the smaller sperm banks out of business, which I think is very bad for families because there is a shortage of sperm donors in America right now,” says Shamonky.
We also examine the fertility industry’s biggest growth area: selective egg freezing. Every year, more and more women in their 20s and 30s freeze their eggs in hopes of preserving their future fertility until they are ready to start a family.
Introducing Tyra Reeder, a prolific egg donor and surrogate who has shared her extraordinary fertility skills with countless families across the country. By Tira’s count, she has had 14 egg retrieval cycles in seven years at clinics around the country, resulting in hundreds of donated eggs. As a surrogate, she gave birth to three children over six years. Reeder shares her own insider’s and unique perspective on how to improve the breeding industry. She wants to look more into the long-term health risks for egg donors and surrogates.
To be clear, there are strict rules regarding accurate reporting of success rates by fertility clinics to the CDC. And the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), a professional organization in the field of fertility whose membership includes scientists and physicians, has its own guidelines on surgery, sperm and egg donation. But almost everyone we spoke to emphasized that these are suggested guidelines, not enforceable rules or regulations. Many advocates for change say it is time for our laws and ethics to catch up with our technological advances. I want other families to experience the life-changing benefits of fertility treatment without any unnecessary heartbreak like I did.
When I started reporting for this documentary, I had no agenda other than to show the rapid change in patients over the past few years. I wanted to shine some light on some dark corners of the fertility industry – areas where the consumer experience could be improved. I’ve learned that the massive growth of this complex industry poses some real risks. Our laws and regulatory oversight have not had a chance to catch up with technology. If nothing changes, the ethical challenges will only increase.
Report by CNN Documentary Producer A. Chris Gajilan.
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