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Right to Know Weekly Roundup

Right to Know Weekly Roundup

By Right To Know

A quick roundup of Right to Know's week. We are a non-profit that advocates for people impacted by DNA surprises and misattributed parentage which can occur due to an adoption, assisted conception, or those conceived from a non-paternal event (NPE) to ensure our fundamental human right to know our genetic identity through education, mental health initiatives, and advocacy.
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Feb 4 Weekly Round-Up

Right to Know Weekly RoundupFeb 04, 2022

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06:21
Feb 4 Weekly Round-Up

Feb 4 Weekly Round-Up

RTK is now listed as a resource for Ancestry.com under unexpected matches - yea! 

We testified on SB 5348 in WA. Traci Portugal who is the product of doctor fertility fraud testified first. Jennifer Morris Gorgarten who is a Biostatistics professor at UW, a married lesbian mom who had her children through assisted reproduction with a donor and who has donated eggs - all known from birth, testified next. Licensed therapist Jana Rupnow, LPC who wrote “Three Makes Baby, How to Parent Donor-Conceived Children” added “some families are open with their children regarding their conception but do not understand the importance of genetic identity. Acknowledging genetic identity does not threaten a loving family environment but can instead strengthen the parent-child bond.”Sarah Chicoine, JD who wrote “The Birth of Fertility Fraud: How to Protect Washingtonians” discussed why victims do not have a clear path to bring such suits as well. Peter J Boni, a DCP and author of Uprooted, testified how the fertility industry operates with little legislative accountability.

Laura Gunner who conceived her son through the use of a sperm donor who did not disclose past medical conditions and her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia and died from a drug overdose testified: “A multibillion-dollar industry profited from my son’s conception and he and my family suffered the consequences because it was based on a lie. There will never be justice for Steven. Donor-conceived people deserve better. No one should have their life and health determined by a lie.”

The democratic majority voted to move forward only the loss of licensure for a doctor who engages in such practices forward. Two republicans noted this was not sufficient and we agree. We will continue to fight to protect donor-conceived people in our home state.

In IA, SF 2169, was re-introduced by Senator Sweeney. There’s a provision that states a patient’s request to use an anonymous donor is not a defense to fertility fraud. And, MI introduced broad-based fertility fraud legislation with up to 31 sponsors.

When reaching out to genetic family - GO SLOW. If you are not ready for all outcomes, do not reach out. We know this feels impossible given how your world was turned upside down and you want answers.

Sunday at noon PST, join us with therapist John Moyer, LPC to discuss how to come back from rejection. Email RSVP@RightToKnow.us for the zoom link and sign up here to automatically receive links.

Check out the podcast Message in a Bottle

Feb 04, 202206:21
Jan 28 Weekly Round Up

Jan 28 Weekly Round Up

Right to Know started a new Facebook support group “DNA Surprise Support for MPE Family & Friends.” This is a safe space for the friends and family of people who’ve had a DNA surprise and learned they have misattributed parentage to chat about how this discovery is impacting them. 

One young man who reached out to Right to Know more than two years ago finally identified his genetic father. His adopted parents and genetic mother have all passed away. We send lots of love and hope his way for a positive reunion with his only living parent.

Tuesday fertility fraud victim Traci Portugal bravely testified before the WA House Public Safety Committee on HB1848 regarding the creation of two new crimes in Washington state. Representative Orwall, who is adopted, sponsored the bill. In her introduction, she talks about how growing up, if she was told she looked like someone she was dating, how horrifying it was because she didn’t know who her relatives were. She emphasized how incredibly traumatic it was. 

Everyone has a right to know their genetic identity. Not knowing leads to incorrect medical history, identity issues, and the possibility of having intimate relationships with family members. We are testifying next week on SB 5348 in the WA Senate Committee on Law & Justice which in addition to the two crimes in the House bill also includes a civil cause of action and a loss of licensure provision for doctors found guilty of either crime or who lose a civil case. 

On our website, you will find a list of email addresses for committee members. Please take a moment to send an email to the WA Senate committee asking them to vote yes on SB 5348 and while you're at it, email the Oregon House Health Care Committee members asking them to schedule a hearing NOW.

Check out the new podcast, “DNA Surprises” with host Alexis Hourselt who in July 2021 discovered she had an NPE. And congratulations to author Leeanne Hay who’s book "NPE A Story Guide for Unexpected DNA Discoveries" is now the #1 new release on Amazon in Genealogy and Sociology of Marriage and Family.

Jan 28, 202203:54
Jan 14 Weekly Round Up

Jan 14 Weekly Round Up

We are excited to announce that Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies has agreed to partner with Right to Know to assist us with navigating the crazy political waters of New York.

The Kevin Bacon theory is a play on the concept of six degrees of separation, the theory that proposes all human beings in the world are just six or fewer social connections away from one another. With it likely that 1 in 20 people have misattributed parentage, I would argue that people with an MPE are more like three degrees of separation. Email us your Kevin Bacon degrees of separation stories at info@RightToKnow.us

Donate to Right to Know today. We need donations to help fund test kits for people searching for their genetic family. Thank you to the lovely woman from Wisconsin who donated $500 to support our efforts. We are grateful for all of the community support we receive.

Turn your pain into power. It’s the 2022 legislative season. Advocated for changes in the law. Become a mentor. Help plan Right to Know’s 2023 summit. Volunteering can help you regain agency. Your pain can turn into your greatest power. 

Check out Peter Boni’s personal story as our featured MPE Narrative for mid-January. Peter learned he was donor-conceived and spent years trying to identify his genetic family. Read about his journey in his new book Uprooted, available now.

Jan 14, 202204:04
Jan 7 Weekly Round Up

Jan 7 Weekly Round Up

Legislative sessions start next week and we'll be busy. We highlight our MI legislation this week. The legislation creates a crime of Assisted Reproduction Fraud punishable with up to 5 years in jail and $50,000 for anyone who provides false information in the assisted reproduction process or uses gametes not expressly consented to by the patient. Doctors who use their own sperm would face an additional punishment of up to 15 years in jail and $100,000 fine and would lose their medical license if convicted. The bill also creates a civil cause of action for false representation in assisted reproduction with standing for the patient, spouse, and offspring. We’ll be sending out ways for you to reach out to MI legislators as soon as the bill is introduced. 

Right to Know and the National Association of Adoptees and Parents are in negotiations with venues in Louisville Kentucky for our Summit in March 2023. We are uniting the adoption, assisted conception and non-paternal event communities to amply our voices. This will be a time to connect, reflect, and be heard. This is shaping up to be an amazing event!

Our directory of mental health professionals who have experience working with misattributed parentage is growing. If you’ve seen, or are seeing, a therapist that has helped you, please let us know about them at info@RightToKnow.us.

Our education website now offers all of our past webinars and classes to help you with your misattributed parentage experience. Check out “Societal Perceptions of Ancestral DNA, Race, and Identity” with Dr. Anita Foeman of the DNA Discussion Project and Shaun Stanley, a PHD philosophy student from the University of Bristol where we discuss how over-the-counter DNA testing is affecting our views on ethnicity. Who Do We Think We Are?

This Sunday at noon PST /3:00pm EST we will be hosting a discussion on Rebuilding Trust after Betrayal with Jana M Rupnow, LPC. Jana is a licensed professional counselor and consultant specializing in fertility and family building. Her best-selling book, Three Makes Baby-How to Parent Your Donor-Conceived Child, introduced the “five common fears” that parents face as they contemplate having a non-biological child. Thousands of readers around the world have trusted the wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what it’s like to be in a non-biological family, as an adoptee and adoptive mom. We’re looking to this! Email RSVP@RightToKnow.us for the zoom link.

Mark your calendars: Sunday, January 20 at noon PST /3:00pm EST attend our webinar “The State of Affairs in Assisted Conception" with Diane Tober, Peter Boni, and Dr. Damian Adams. Email RSVP@RightToKnow.us for the zoom link.

Jan 07, 202204:17
Dec 31 Weekly Round Up

Dec 31 Weekly Round Up

If you missed our last webinar, Not My Parent's Child, with Dr. Berryessa, Brad Ewell, and Wendi Babst where we discussed the intersection of ethics, genetics, criminology, psychology, and misattributed parentage, it is now available on our MPE-Education website. Check out other past webinars such as the one with Rock guitarist Dan McKinnon and Actor, Singer, Artist, Writer – well, all-around super talented Cory Goodrich where they discuss how music, art, and writing has helped them through their misattributed parentage discovery.

We just added a new general class, Understanding Your Ancestry.com DNA Results in collaboration with DNAngles. Kelly Grace from DNAngels does an amazing job of walking some through their Ancestry.com DNA test results, how to build a family tree, what ThruLines is, and reviewing DNA matches. She throws in some great tips too. We are grateful to partner with DNAngels.

On Sunday, January 9th at noon pacific standard time with licensed therapist Jana M. Rupnow will be guiding us through a discussion on rebuilding trust after betrayal. Our Webinar will be Sunday, January 23rd at noon pacific standard time is called “The State of Affairs in Assisted Conception.” Sign up to automatically receive links to our events or email RSVP@RightToKnow.us.

Recipient mom Laura helped introduce legislation in New York called the "Donor Conceived Person Protection Act", Senate Bill 7602 sponsored by Senator Gallivan. The purpose of the new legislation is to ensure the banks in New York verify medical, education, and background information stated by donors and that such information is made available to the offspring at 18 years of age. 

Check out the Spotify music list someone put together for our Facebook support group, DNA Identity Surprise & This MPE Life for coping with a DNA surprise, there are 99 songs here from every genre. 

Dec 31, 202104:15
Dec 17 Weekly Round Up

Dec 17 Weekly Round Up

This week we take the time to tell you a little bit about why Right To Know was created and some of the things we do. Everything we do is based on the principle that it is a fundamental human right to know your genetic identity. We have three pillars of service: education, mental health, and advocacy to assist the three misattributed parentage communities: adoptees, donor-conceived, and NPEs. Consider making a sustaining donation to RTK to ensure no one with an MPE ever feels alone. Check out this amazing song, I'm Legit, sung by Zara Phillips and DMC.

Dec 18, 202105:07
Dec 10 Weekly Round Up

Dec 10 Weekly Round Up

Thank you to Assemblymember Jacobson in New York who coordinated with Assemblymember Lunsford to co-sponsor the legislation, A00718A. These two amazing politicians worked tirelessly with Senator Brouk and Biaggi to sponsor this legislation in the Senate. 

Thanks to therapist Kate Murphy for making last week's community and connection fabulous. The topic of our lack of medical history came up and it touched a nerve. Not a surprise, since according to our MPE Survey 2021, 70% of respondents said that not knowing about their medical history made them anxious. Check out Kate’s presentation and suggested resources. Join us on January 9th with therapist Jana Rupnow.

This Sunday, December 12th at noon PST we are holding our monthly webinar, Not My Parent’s Child – Genetics, DNA Surprises, Ethical Behaviors. Our panelists will be discussing the intersection of ethics, genetics, criminology, psychology, and MPEs. Join Dr. Collen Berryessa who has a doctorate in criminology, late discovery adoptee Brad Ewell, and Wendi Babst who is the product of fertility fraud. We always have time for Q & A. Remember folks, we record these events. You can watch past webinars on our new education website: www.MPE-Education.org. Mark your calendars and save the date - January 23rd our webinar, “The State of Affairs in Assisted Conception” will be very interesting with Diane Tober and Peter Boni. For a link to the zoom, email RSVP@RightToKnow our sign up to automatically receive the link.

Our hotline, 323-TALK-MPE, has been busy. We paired four people with mentors last week, a late discovery adoptee, two donor-conceived people, and one person with an NPE. Consider volunteering to be a mentor and for the holidays, start a sustaining donation to Right to Know. Just $15-$25 a month can make a huge difference and helps to sustain our programs for free.

Right to Know is excited to announce we are co-sponsoring with therapist Jana Rupnow and Genetic Counselor Gina Davis with Advocate Genetics an egg-donor-conceived free peer-led support group with the Donor Conceived Community in the new year. 

Dec 10, 202103:40
Dec 3 Weekly Round Up

Dec 3 Weekly Round Up

Thank you to everyone who donated on Giving Tuesday! If you’d like to donate, please consider making a monthly sustainable donation ($20 per month can make a huge difference). Washington fertility fraud legislation is moving forward. Thank you to Representative Orwell, Senator Dhingra, and Senator Stanford for your dedication and passion to see fertility fraud legislation passed in Washington.

We launched our new education website, www.MPE-Education.org on December first. All of our past Webinars are available for just $12. Our non-CE course listing includes Identity & MPEs, Loss & Grief in MPEs, Psychological & Ethical Implications of MPEs, and Navigating Reunion with MPEs, and Understanding your Ancestry DNA Test Results will be coming out this week.

Happy  Hanukkah with their MPE family. Reach out to Right to Know on our hotline, 323 Talk MPE, and we can pair you with someone with a similar experience. Remember, you are not alone. 

This Sunday is our Community and Connection event at noon PST with licensed therapist Kate Murphy who will be guiding us in a discussion on BALANCING FAMILY, SECRETS, STRESS, GRIEF, AND THE HOLIDAYS. 

Save the date - next Sunday, December 12 is our Webinar: Not My Parent's Child - Genetics, DNA Surprises, Ethical Behaviors with Dr. Collen Berryessa, Brad Ewell, and Wendi Babst. The date of our Summit is changing from September to the end of October or early November 2022 - we'll let you know as soon as we have a firm date.

Dec 03, 202104:01
Nov 26 Weekly Round Up

Nov 26 Weekly Round Up

Three people paired with mentors from the 323-TALK-MPE hotline share their thoughts. Right to Know met with Senator Gallivan’s staff from New York who will likely help pass fertility fraud legislation and are ready to propose some level of requirements to ensure donor-conceived people have access to their medical history and gametes are screened for genetic diseases prior to use. Check out “NPE- A Story Guide for Unexpected DNA Discoveries” by Leeanne R. Hay which includes our DNA Basics Guide. Don't forget to pre-order Peter Boni's book "Uprooted." Peter conveys how difficult it can be to be a late discovery donor-conceived person. His personal journey is a testament to never give up trying to find your genetic family. Don't forget to check out our Year-End Report

Donate to Right to Know on November 30th – Giving Tuesday. See if your company will match the donation. Or donate through our Facebook page at 8:00 am Eastern Standard time and Facebook, Meta, will match your donation. They are 100% matching up to $20,000 donations per person for the first $2 million in donations. The matching will probably go fast so donate early. 

Nov 27, 202102:50
Nov 19 Weekly Round Up

Nov 19 Weekly Round Up

We have added two new therapists to the MPE directory—Jason Hobbs in Georgia and Laura Sullivan in Ohio. We are working with PhD student Mary Macintosh from Virginia who is in the process of finding candidates to interview who are psychotherapists with experience working with someone with an MPE (email Mary)McIntosh@MSN.com).Jake Porst, PhD Psychology student from Minnesota is also doing a qualitative study. Happy Thanksgiving, stay tuned for tips to survive the holidays. Support RTK and purchase a DNA Missing Piece ornament or DNA Familly T-shirt. Become a RTK Mentor, email us at info@RightToKnow.us if you'd like to volunter. Assemblymember Jacobson in NY updated his fertility fraud legislation to include broad-based fraud such as when the donor lies about his medical history or when a clinic misleads patients and donors. We are approaching Senators to sponsor the bill on the other side of the legislature. Check out the donor conceived community which offers peer-led support groups for people navigating donor conception for a small fee. Groups include the DC Journey, New Discovery, Multiracial BIPOC DCP, LGBTQIA + DCP, Search & Connect, Advocacy, DC 101, Book Clubs and more. Our Year End Report was released 11/19, a bit later than anticipated because Seattle artist Hannah Dare Walker agreed to let us use her image, “the Cradle of Life” on the Cover at the last minute. It is a striking image and well worth the wait. Email info@RightToKnow.us if you didn't receive a copy. 

Nov 19, 202103:57
Nov 12 Weekly Round Up

Nov 12 Weekly Round Up

Peter Boni, the author of Uprooted, agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds of his book which will be available in January 2022. Just before his fiftieth birthday, Peter’s seventy-five-year-old mother unveiled a bombshell: His deceased father was not his biological father. Peter was conceived via an anonymous sperm donor in 1945. After weeks of searching, we finally matched two women with MPEs with a wonderful therapist in Maine. A person who’s been on their MPE journey for 10 years, reached out for a mentor because no one in their circle understands how much their discovery uprooted their life. Remember, no matter how long ago you made your discovery, there are different times when we need support and Right to Know is here when you need it. Monday we’ll be sending out our first-ever annual report, sign up to receive a copy. We’ve been on four podcasts, featured in numerous articles, hosted 10 webinars, had guided monthly discussions with eight therapists, created a development board, and completed a survey of people with an MPE with 588 respondents. We’ll be sharing some statistics from time to time. For example, 60% said their MPE discovery was completely unexpected, 55% are completely public about their discovery, and 76% said they were glad they know the truth. We want to welcome two new board members Erin Maya and Brad Ewell. Erin is a DCP who is currently writing a musical about donor conception and Brad is an LDA police officer in Dallas, Texas.

Nov 12, 202103:42
Nov 5 Weekly Round Up

Nov 5 Weekly Round Up

We received a generous donation from a doctor who asked his company to match his donation. Thank you! We're registered to have your donation matched by most companies. We met with the wonderful women over at EmPower, an educational company created to increase awareness, empower choice, and foster understanding for everyone involved in embryo donation. A woman reached out on our hotline (323-TALK-MPE) who learned her dad had donated sperm years ago and now many new siblings are contacting her. We appreciate her open heart and are working to find a licensed mental health professional in her state to help her process the huge shift in her family dynamics. If you are looking for a licensed mental health professional in your state, check out our therapist directory. Dr. Colleen Berrysess, a professor of criminology at Rutgers University, will be a guest speaker for our next webinar on Sunday, December 12th  at noon pacific / 3:00 pm eastern time entitled “Not My Parent’s Child – Genetics, DNA Surprises, and Ethical Behaviors.” We’ll be discussing how discovering biological family whose ethics and actions you do not subscribe to impacts you. This is the very complicated intersection of ethics, genetics, criminology, and psychology – a space Dr. Berrysess is very familiar with.

Don’t forget it’s adoptee awareness month in November. And remember, you have a fundamental human right to know your genetic identity.

Nov 05, 202103:09
October 29 Weekly Round Up

October 29 Weekly Round Up

This week we verified the video Donor Conceived People Voices we sponsored for the ASRM is indeed included in their on-demand content. Our mental health initiatives were recognized in a news article called “Home DNA tests can lead to shock and trauma, but mental health resources are scarce” by Aparna Nathan in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Our mentorship program was created to bolster and guide you during this process. Recently one of our mentors Sabrina Carlin, who by day is an educator, sent a heartfelt note about the impact of volunteering. Thank you Sabrina for everything you do! We met with a number of legislators from Washington state to ensure fertility fraud legislation moves forward in the next session in our home state by introducing a companion bill in the House. We are excited to be working with Professor Jennifer Gogarten who is a lecturer at the Institute for Public Health Genetics at the University of Washington.

Oct 29, 202102:54
October 22 Weekly Round Up

October 22 Weekly Round Up

This week Arlene, who's in her 70s, found her biological father after 10 years of searching. If you're still searching - don't give up hope. Watch the video "DCP Voices for ASRM Panel on Open Identity" that Right to Know advocated for which was included in ASRM's on-demand content for the Scientific Congress. We have a new volunteer to assist with our MPE Counseling Directory of therapists with experience treating traumas associated with misattributed parentage. And, we finalized proposed fertility fraud legislation for the state of Michigan which will be introduced by Representative Roth soon. Reach out to us at info@RightToKnow.us or call 323-TALK MPE if you need to chat with someone who also had a DNA surprise, need advice about resources (finding bio family, genetic counselor, or therapist), or would like to be paired with a mentor.

Oct 22, 202103:36