Episode 149: Egg Donation and Surrogacy

Join the Conversation on Tuesday, August 26th at 6pm ET as Laura and Ryan explore the multi-faceted world of egg donation and surrogacy. We'll hear from NOW board member Kathy Sloan, egg donor Justine Griffin (author of "Cost of Life"), surrogate mothers and more. Have a question for our hosts or guests? Please email us or post to our facebook page.

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online at www.wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, August 26th at 6:00pm ET. The program will also available later in the evening via podcast at maternallyyoursradio.com.

For more information, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours at MaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page at facebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours, 

Laura, Ryan and Dana

Episode 92: Times Two: Lesbian Motherhood

Join Laura and Carmela tonight, Tuesday, July 2nd as we discuss lesbian motherhood. We welcome back Nadine Smith of Equality Florida to break down last week's historic Supreme Court ruling, and we'll meet wives, mothers, and April 2013 Time Magazine cover models Kristen and Sarah Kate Ellis-Henderson, who will share the amazing journey to motherhood they wrote about inTimes Two: Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made. Questions? Comments? Please email us or post to ourfacebook page!

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online atwww.wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, July 2nd at 6:00pm ET. The program will also available later in the evening via podcast atmaternallyyoursradio.com.

For more information, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours atMaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page atfacebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours, 

Cheryl, Carmela, Ryan and Laura

Episode 66 (Epilogue): Looking Back, Looking Ahead

(source: http://wondrouspics.com/happy-new-year-2013-wishes-greetings-and-messages/)

On Tonight’s show Ryan and Cheryl reviewed some of the years favorite shows moments for the Maternally Yours collective this year, and looked ahead to what we will be doing next year.  We looked back on some of 2012’s favorite shows for the MY crew, including our show on same-sex parenting (Episode 34),  milk sharing (Episode 20), and our episode focused on relaxations for mothers (Episode 27). We also discussed some of our work on more serious episodes, which tackled issues such as racial disparity in birth outcomes (Episode 21) and addiction in pregnant mothers and newborns (Episode 30). We also discussed some of our special show guests this year, including Maya Angelou (Episode 39), The Business of Being Born’s Abby Epstein, (Episode 38), and midwife Robin Lim (Episode 31).   

                We also looked ahead to what we have planned for next year, including LGBT conception, more shows focused on alternative and natural health care options, family planning and growth, lactation support, and other issues surrounding birth and parenting in our own community.

                Most of all at the beginning of this New Year, we want to thank our listeners for all of their continued support. Working on Maternally Yours has been an amazing journey for all of us, and one which we look forward to continuing. We do this show so that it will hopefully positively affect our listeners , both as individuals  and as members of our community. Because of this we invite you to “join the Conversation” in 2013 by letting us know what you would be interested in hearing from us!

Episode 34 (Epilogue): Same Sex Parenting

We opened tonight's show about Same Sex Parenting with this now viral clip of Zach Wahls, the son of two mothers, on the floor of the Iowa legislature in 2011. 

We then heard from Nadine Smith, president of Equality Florida (www.eqfl.org). From this website we have pulled out the following points to remember:

• In October 2010, Attorney General Bill McCollum announced that the State of Florida was ending the 33-year-old ban on gay adoptions in Florida.
• Civil rights laws have been passed by the U.S. Congress and by the Florida Legislature that provide legal protections against discrimination in areas such as employment, education, housing, and public accommodations, on the basis of certain specified categories, including race, national origin, sex, age, disability, and others.  There are a number of different federal laws that provide these protections, including the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991.  
• Currently, the federal and Florida anti-discrimination laws provide very little legal protection to LGBT citizens subjected to discrimination.  Neither the federal nor Florida anti-discrimination laws include “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in the list of classifications protected from discrimination.  There is pending legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would add these classifications to the federal laws if passed by Congress and signed into law.   
• Section 400.6095 of the Florida Statutes provides that hospice facilities shall make their services available to all terminally ill persons and their families without regard to sexual orientation, and Section  397.501 similarly provides that service providers may not deny an individual access to substance abuse services on the basis of sexual preference.   
• Although the federal and Florida anti-discrimination laws do not specifically prohibit discrimination against LGBT citizens, some cities and counties in Florida have passed their own anti-discrimination ordinances that do prohibit such discrimination within their geographic boundaries.  Some of these municipalities include Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Leon County, Monroe County, Palm  Beach County, Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Miami Beach, Sarasota, West  Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, Venice, and others.  
• Florida’s Constitution (Article I) and Section 741.212 of the Florida Statutes effectively “ban marriage for same-sex couples” by defining marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman, and Florida’s Constitution further mandates that “no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.” (Fla. Const. Article I, Section 27) These same laws prohibit Florida from recognizing valid same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
• Currently, Florida does not have any form of statewide recognition of same-sex relationships.  However, similar to municipal ordinances banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, some Florida municipalities as well as public and private employers offer domestic partner benefits to their employees, and some municipalities provide domestic partner registries that allow same-sex couples within their jurisdiction to register and receive certain benefits. Among many other considerations, the inability to enter into a legally recognized marriage means that same-sex partners do  not automatically have authority to make healthcare, childcare, and related life decisions with respect to each other, nor will they automatically inherit each other’s property upon death. 
• If you are a gay couple, legally married in a state or country that performs such marriages, one significant issue that arises is the ability to file your federal income tax return as married even though the federal government refuses to acknowledge your marriage. 
• It is important for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Floridians to be able to protect their families. Without legal protections our families are not able to make vital health care, child care and end of life decisions. nfortunately, right now, marriage is not an option for same-sex couples in Florida. In 2008 Florida passed Amendment 2 which defined marriage as “the union between one man and one woman.”
• Equality Florida is working with cities, counties and businesses all across the state, and even in the state legislature, to provide domestic partnership benefits for both same-sex and opposite sex unmarried couples. Domestic partnerships provide unmarried couples important, basic legal protections.
• Right now Florida ranks 5th in the nation, with over 5.5 million people living in communities that recognize domestic partnerships, either through registries or public employer benefits. These places offer benefits for domestic partners not only because it is the right thing to do, but it helps to attract and retain the best and the brightest to their city or county. 

We mentioned the influential moment in Washington during which Nadine Smith handed President Obama a letter asking him take action against Florida's 33-year old law banning same sex adoption. The Administration called Nadine almost immediately thereafter. Four months later, the law was reversed.

Other resources for LGBT parents and their children:

• NATIONAL: The Family Equality Council connects, supports, and represents the one million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents in this country and the two million children they are raising. Visit www.familyequality.org for more information.
• STATE: Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Visit www.equalityflorida.org or www.eqfl.org for more information, or to download the Legal Handbook for LGBT Floridians and their Families.
• LOCAL: ALSO Out Youth strives to end all forms of violence, harassment and discrimination based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender indentity. Our mission is to enhance self-esteem, promote healthy dialogue, and increase awareness of sexual minority issues. Visit www.alsoyouth.org for more information.  

Episode 34: Same Sex Parenting

Join The Conversation on Maternally Yours this week on Tuesday, 5/22 at 6pm as Laura and Carmela discuss the issues same sex couples and their chidren face along their family's journey. We will be joined by the president of Equality Florida, Nadine Smith, as well as Maggie Davenport, local mother of two and Assistant Executive Director at ALSO Youth. We will also hear from other LGBT parents around the state by phone.

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online at www.wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, May 22nd at 6:00pm.  The program will also available later in the evening via podcast at maternallyyoursradio.podomatic.com.

For more information, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours at MaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page at facebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours,
Cheryl, Carmela, Ryan and Laura