Linda,

Good questions!  Since Janet and I are both college grads, Janet with
her Masters (Now it's my turn - she was started on hers when we got
married), I've wondered about that.  The wife of the executive director
of WIND runs the local Planned Parenthood clinic, so has the opportunity
to educate the docs in town.  

When we were trying to get pregnant, we were considered "high risk
(because we were over 35, and took medications that can complicate
pregnancy)," so had a consult with a specialist who was great.  

I wonder a lot about the impact on folks with different backgrounds,
though....

Kendall Corbett

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950


-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Wagner [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 7:21 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reproductive freedom

Kendall,

I find your question interesting especially given the fact that I am now
expecting myself.  When Jim and I first "got serious" and thought about
marriage, I immediately started asking questions of my OB-GYN.  I wanted
to
know if there was any medical reason I should not have kids before I
actually married him.  I knew Jim wanted kids and didn't want that to be
something of an issue.  Well, every doctor I talked to from my regular
family doc to the OB-GYN to the orthopedist or PT all said I'd be a
great
mom and kind of "dismissed" my concerns.  So, here in conservative
Lancaster
PA at least I think doctors are pretty open-minded.

In fact, the maternal-fetal specialist we are seeing (because in
addition to
CP I am also lucky enough to have a blod clotting disorder that makes me
a
high risk pregnancy) actually told me that in the last 15 months he had
delivered 3 babies to women with CP...all vaginally.  So, that makes me
feel
really good...a doc with a CLUE abotu cpers, imagine that!

But I wonder if one of the reasons they are all so nonchalant about me
having a baby is because I am a teacher working on my doctorate?  Would
I
get the same "You'll be a great mom" speech if I was developmentally
disabled or uneducated/unemployed?

Linda
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kendall David Corbett" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 1:48 PM
Subject: Reproductive freedom


> The reason I was interested in knowing where and when this happened
was
> to find out if it's still going on, or happened recently, and if so,
if
> it's education that needs to be undertaken nationally, or if there are
a
> few "boneheads" out there that we may never reach.  I'm including both
> my sig files in this, because I'm interested both personally and
> professionally.  My wife did a presentation at a conference in late
> March where the topic came up, and the consensus seemed to be that
while
> there were a few isolated instances of this "advice," in general, it
> wasn't an issue.  I'd like to find out if that's true.
>
> Our family doc and Janet's OB/GYN have been very supportive of our
> attempts to start a family.
>
> Kendall Corbett
>
> An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)
>
> The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
> persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
> progress depends on the unreasonable man.
> -George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950
>
> Kendall Corbett
> Coordinator of Consumer Activities=20
> Wyoming INstitute for Disabilities - WIND
> College of Health Sciences
> University of Wyoming
> 1000 E. University Avenue, Dept. 4298
> Laramie, WY  82070
> (307) 766-2853
> [log in to unmask]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]=20
> Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 6:48 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: new member intro and some well-meant comments...
>
> In a message dated 05/10/2005 16:10:07 Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Mike,
>
> Where are you, and how recently were you told by that  "doctor" that
you
> should be sterilized?  My Mom did her nurses  training in the late
40's
> at a University where girls with disabilities  (but not boys) were
> routinely sterilized until the 60's.   Interestingly enough, my wife,
as
> a kid, attended the Hospital School at  that same university during
the
> summer until she was 12 or so for PT, OT,  and Speech because the
little
> town she lived in didn't have those  services.
>
> Kendall Corbett
>
>
>
> This is what I was replying to.  I never had a case manager.  I
learned
> how
> to do everything on my own.