The Child's Side of Donor Conception

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse joins Ken Craycraft for a provocative conversation about women's sports, transgender ideology, equality, and the true meaning of human dignity. Beginning with the controversies surrounding the WNBA and biological differences between men and women, Dr. Morse and Craycraft examine what happens when equality is treated as sameness. Their conversation then turns to a deeper question: What gives a human person dignity? They argue that authentic human dignity does not depend on athletic ability, achievement, status, health, or making everyone equivalent. Rather, the Christian understanding of dignity begins with the fundamental worth of every person created in the image and likeness of God. A wide-ranging discussion about biological reality, ideological equality, and why recognizing our differences does not diminish our human dignity.

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse joins Ken on Driving Home to Faith for a candid discussion about IVF and why so many Catholics and other Christians may not fully understand its moral and practical implications. Dr. Morse emphasizes that every child conceived through IVF has inherent dignity and is a precious child of God, while distinguishing the dignity of the child from concerns about the means by which the child is conceived. Drawing on her own experience with infertility, Dr. Morse discusses the emotional vulnerability couples can face when they struggle to conceive and why these difficult decisions should be considered before a crisis arises. The conversation also examines the embryos created, frozen, or lost during IVF and the difficult moral questions families can face afterward. Dr. Morse points listeners toward restorative reproductive medicine, an approach that seeks to identify and treat the underlying causes of infertility rather than bypass them. She encourages couples, families, clergy, and young adults to learn about these alternatives before infertility becomes an immediate and emotionally overwhelming concern.

Infertility? IVF is not the only option. In this episode of The Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse Show, Dr. J sits down with Emma Waters of The Heritage Foundation to discuss IVF, infertility, donor conception, surrogacy, frozen embryos, and restorative reproductive medicine — a humane alternative that seeks to treat the underlying causes of infertility rather than ignore or bypass them. Links and resources mentioned: Emma Waters at The Heritage Foundation: https://www.heritage.org/staff/emma-waters Emma Waters, "The NYT Profiled My Butter. Here's What It Missed About Big Fertility" https://www.heritage.org/health-care-reform/commentary/the-nyt-profiled-my-butter-heres-what-it-missed-about-big-fertility Rethinking Fertility podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rethinking-fertility/id1896869323 Emma Waters on Substack: https://rethinkingfertility.substack.com/ Follow Emma Waters: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emlwaters_/ X: https://x.com/emlwaters Natural Womanhood: https://naturalwomanhood.org/ Natural Womanhood — Find help, doctors, and fertility awareness instructors: https://naturalwomanhood.org/get-help/ International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine: https://iirrm.org/ NaProTechnology: https://naprotechnology.com/ Shiloh IVF Ministry: https://www.shilohivf.com/ National Catholic Bioethics Center — Personal Ethics Consultation: https://www.ncbcenter.org/ask-a-question Real Estate for Life: https://realestateforlife.org/ Dr. Stacy Trasancos on IVF and Human Dignity: https://ruthinstitute.org/dr-j-show/the-truth-about-ivf-and-dignity/ First Things: "A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right" https://firstthings.com/a-future-for-the-family-a-new-technology-agenda-for-the-right/ Vatican document: Donum Vitae https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19870222_respect-for-human-life_en.html Vatican document: Dignitas Personae https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20081208_dignitas-personae_en.html Dr. Morse and Emma Waters explore why so many couples are told IVF is their only option, how the fertility industry benefits from keeping people in the dark about alternatives, and why children must never be treated as products, projects, or entitlements. They also discuss the larger cultural picture: the separation of sex, babies, and marriage; the ethics of donor conception and surrogacy; the trauma of frozen embryos; the Alabama IVF case; the question of whether anyone has a "right to a child"; and why the pro-life movement must take reproductive technology seriously. Emma Waters is a Senior Policy Analyst in the Center for Technology and the Human Person at The Heritage Foundation. Her work focuses on family, biotechnology, and reproductive medicine. She is the author of Lead Like Jael: Seven Timeless Principles for Today's Women of Faith and the forthcoming book Rethinking Fertility: The Package Deal of Marriage, Sex, and Procreation. She is also a monthly contributor to World Magazine and host of the podcast Rethinking Fertility. If you or someone you love is struggling with infertility, this conversation offers hope, clarity, and a different way forward. Chapters: 0:00 Intro: infertility, IVF, and restorative reproductive medicine 0:35 Welcome Emma Waters 0:40 The New York Times, IVF, and media framing 4:35 Why alternatives to IVF are hard for elites to process 6:00 "Delay, delay, delay" — then sell a $30,000 workaround 10:04 What is restorative reproductive medicine? 13:49 Natural Womanhood and cycle literacy 18:24 Doctors, training, and the RRM movement 19:01 Why professional women are pushed toward IVF 19:52 IVF success rates and incomplete fertility statistics 26:11 Correcting the underlying condition 27:06 Who benefits from keeping people in the dark? 29:46 The fertility industry and the free market problem 35:22 Sex, babies, marriage, and the sexual revolution 44:38 Divorce ideology and the parent-child bond 45:39 Why every child should be received as a gift 46:25 Donor conception and artificial reproduction 52:02 Consumer-based eugenics 56:58 Sponsor: Real Estate for Life 57:27 IVF, identity, and the breakdown of motherhood 1:03:43 Why the fertility market depends on the state 1:05:08 IVF policy reforms at the state and federal level 1:06:21 The Restore Act and root-cause infertility care 1:18:11 The Alabama IVF case 1:19:22 Human being or medical waste? 1:20:09 Why IVF cannot be made pro-life with regulatory Band-Aids 1:23:04 Shiloh IVF Ministry and help for parents with frozen embryos 1:24:33 Viewer question: IVF and male-factor infertility 1:28:02 Is there a right to a child? 1:29:01 A child is a person, not an entitlement 1:32:18 Why the pro-life movement must address IVF 1:33:03 Where to follow Emma Waters 1:34:41 Closing #IVF #Infertility #RestorativeReproductiveMedicine #EmmaWaters #HeritageFoundation #Catholic #Family

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse joins the show to unpack a study on children raised in same sex households that she says was buried because its findings did not match the conclusions some researchers wanted. The conversation focuses on how earlier claims that "the kids are fine" were built on weak samples, and why newer, more representative data has produced very different results. We also discuss Mark Regnerus's work, how ideology can shape the use of social science data, and why statistical methods like multiverse analysis matter when researchers choose what to include, exclude, or redefine. Key topics In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse explains why she believes the latest video from the Ruth Institute exposes a suppressed study on gay parenting. She says the original "kids are fine" narrative relied heavily on small, nonrandom samples, including early studies based on 26 couples and other convenience samples. Morse contrasts those older studies with newer, larger, more representative datasets that she says show more serious emotional difficulties among children of same sex parents. She discusses Father Paul Sullens's role in reexamining a 2016 study and pushing researchers to revisit their conclusions. The conversation revisits Mark Regnerus's 2012 research on adult children from same sex households and the criticism he faced before his findings were later vindicated. Morse explains the difference between asking parents how their children are doing and asking adult children about their own outcomes after leaving the household. She argues that once government and census-style datasets became available, the earlier consensus about "no differences" became much less secure. The discussion turns to ideological bias in academia, with Morse warning that claims like "the science is settled" can be used to shut down questions rather than answer them. She connects the broader problem of relativism and ideological capture to medicine, law, and the public interpretation of data. Morse closes by describing how multiverse analysis can test whether a result holds up across many possible analytic choices, and why that kind of checking matters for controversial social science.

What happens when a father loses a child to abortion—but is told his grief doesn't matter? Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse discusses the powerful story of Sean Corcoran, who was 19 when his girlfriend became pregnant. Sean wanted to care for their child, and his parents even offered to adopt the baby, but the abortion went forward. In the aftermath, he found little acknowledgment or support for his grief. Dr. Morse explores what Sean's experience reveals about abortion, fatherhood, masculinity, and a culture that often overlooks the emotional impact abortion can have on men. The conversation also examines the broader consequences of dismissing grief and denying the importance of the bonds between parents and children.

 FREE PAMPHLET — What Keeps Abortion Below 5%? 👉 https://ruthinstitute.org/pro-life-trifold/ 💛 Support the Ruth Institute: https://ruthinstitute.org/donate-today/ 🌐 Men for Life: https://www.menforlife.org ▶️ Men for Life YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ntlmenforlife At 19, Sean Corcoran's girlfriend told him she was having an abortion. He tried to stop it. She went through with it. The college counselor told him it didn't affect him — because he was a man. Eight years later he was homeless, addicted to meth, and overdosing on a hotel room floor. He never connected the two things. Because nobody was talking about how abortion affects fathers. Sean Corcoran is now CEO of Men for Life. In this episode he joins Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse to talk about what abortion does to men, why good men have abandoned the pro-life fight, and what it takes to get them back. 📝 Sean on Substack: https://lseancorcoran.substack.com 🐦 Sean on X: https://x.com/lseancorcoran 🌐 Ruth Institute: https://ruthinstitute.org 🎙️ The Dr. J Show: https://ruthinstitute.org/dr-j-show/ 🏠 Locals: https://theruthinstitute.locals.com ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 — Intro: Sean Corcoran, CEO of Men for Life 01:22 — His story begins: pregnancy at 19 02:09 — She said she was having an abortion 02:57 — The counselor who said it didn't affect him 04:19 — Failing out of college — three times 04:52 — Eight years later: overdosing in a hotel room 05:28 — Why he never connected it to the abortion 06:22 — By the grace of God: treatment the next day 06:55 — The counselor who made the connection 07:20 — Healing: naming his son Michael 09:27 — Recovery, law school, five kids (three adopted) 11:11 — A retreat changes everything 12:01 — Why men don't talk about abortion 14:49 — "Abortion is the product of failed masculinity" 15:24 — Men who support abortion: using women for pleasure 16:25 — 54% of American men are pro-life — where are they? 16:50 — Silence of good men is a failure of masculinity 17:46 — As goes the husband, so goes the nation 19:04 — How feminism removed men from the fight 20:41 — Fatherlessness statistics 21:10 — 93%: when fathers lead, children stay in faith 22:27 — What toxic masculinity actually is — and isn't 22:47 — True masculinity: protect, provide, lead, serve 23:34 — Andrew Tate and the hunger of young men 25:10 — Biblical leadership — Jesus washing feet 26:08 — Strength creates obligation, not license 31:25 — Ten years as a divorce attorney 34:23 — Most divorces: people just gave up 38:15 — Broken incentives in family court 39:24 — Louisiana's new 50/50 custody default 50:06 — What keeps abortion below 5%? Marriage. 51:17 — The decline of marriage fuels abortion 52:28 — What women actually hear: "you're on your own" 56:09 — How Sean talks to younger vs. older men 57:28 — Students for Life: 50 of 150 were men 58:43 — Every young man asked: "What books can I read?" 01:01:43 — It takes good men to raise good men 01:04:13 — God shoved him into this job 01:07:39 — His message at pregnancy center banquets 01:10:48 — Return to the arena: first-century Christians 01:13:55 — Tearing down the infanticide walls 01:16:41 — Volunteer for a fatherhood program 01:17:59 — 97% of men who see an ultrasound choose life 01:18:41 — Father is the #1 influence on the abortion decision 01:22:18 — The worst thing a man can say — and the best 01:23:54 — Catholics are no longer leading the pro-life movement 01:28:30 — Pro-life from womb to tomb 01:32:33 — Men for Life's position on IVF 👤 SEAN CORCORAN — CEO, Men for Life. Former family law attorney. Father of five, three adopted. Lake Charles, LA. 🌐 menforlife.org 👤 DR. JENNIFER MORSE — Founder & President, Ruth Institute. Economist, author, podcast host. 🌐 ruthinstitute.org #MenForLife #AbortionAndMen #ProLife #Catholic #Christian #Conservatie #Masculinity

📄 FREE PAMPHLET — Children and Donor Conception: 👉 https://ruthinstitute.org/donor-conception/ 📖 Kathryn's article at Public Discourse: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/01/59169/ 👶 Them Before Us: https://thembeforeus.com/ 🔬 IIRRM: https://iirrm.org/ 🗣️ Anonymous Us: https://anonymousus.org/ 🎬 Center for Bioethics & Culture: https://cbc-network.org/ 🌐 Ruth Institute: https://ruthinstitute.org 💛 Support: https://ruthinstitute.org/donate-today/ 🏠 Locals: https://theruthinstitute.locals.com FEMM – MyCatholicDoctor FEMM (Fertility Education and Medical Management) is a virtual NFP provider now operating under MyCatholicDoctor. Their certified fertility awareness educators, nurses, and physicians serve patients across much of the country via telehealth, helping women chart their cycles to avoid or achieve pregnancy — and to identify and treat underlying hormonal issues. FEMM offers a free app so you can start learning basic charting right away. 🔗 mycatholicdoctor.com She found out the week before her 22nd birthday — home for Thanksgiving — that the man who raised her was not her biological father. Nobody had planned to tell her. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse sits down with Kathryn Francisco, a donor-conceived adult and restorative reproductive medicine advocate, to hear what the fertility industry will never tell you — from the child's perspective. You'll hear: the hidden damage donor conception does to the social father — why Kathryn would never recommend it to anyone — how she found her biological father through DNA testing — what the sperm donation process actually involves — how restorative reproductive medicine treats the root causes of infertility without IVF — and why college students are the most urgent audience for this message right now. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 — Introduction 01:08 — Born through donor conception 01:31 — Finding out at 22 02:25 — Her brother forced the issue 02:57 — "I felt like trash" 04:02 — Why her brother suspected something 05:02 — The hints she missed 05:43 — Social father vs. natural father 07:35 — Why her parents chose donor conception 08:28 — "He thought it was like a kidney donation" 09:12 — Dr. Morse: her own infertility 10:36 — The hidden damage to the social father 13:29 — What couples need to know 15:27 — "I would never advise anyone to use donor conception" 16:19 — "You don't want any baby — you want your baby" 17:21 — Infertility is a cross — there are other paths 18:45 — The health records: they chose a "better version of Bill" 20:41 — Would it have been fine if they'd told her sooner? 23:26 — Restorative reproductive medicine explained 24:23 — IVF bypasses the problem; RRM heals the person 25:02 — IVF success rates — how the numbers are gamed 26:15 — Light in bedrooms, hormones, and fertility 27:00 — Creighton Model and NaPro Technology 27:50 — Kathryn's story: two miscarriages and a NaPro doctor 28:39 — Progesterone corrected her cycle in three months 29:59 — Vitamin D, thyroid, ovulation — all connected 33:49 — Finding her biological father through DNA 34:11 — "I stopped breathing — I looked so much like him" 37:04 — Showing up at his door — the dad hug 37:52 — "I felt like he delighted in me" 39:20 — Finding half-siblings through DNA 42:29 — The sperm donation process — what it actually involves 44:28 — "Why would anyone want to be conceived that way?" 46:29 — Donor conception guarantees injustice to the child 46:49 — "I told him to go to confession — and he did" 47:22 — Finding the Catholic faith 47:51 — Her great-grandmother's rosary 48:56 — "In the economy of grace, nothing is wasted" 49:46 — Judith Wallerstein and family breakdown 50:53 — "Marriage became really scary for me" 52:23 — Her husband: "I feel called to this vocation with you" 55:08 — College students are being targeted to donate right now 01:03:15 — Donor conception and what we're really arguing about 01:07:00 — This is not a libertarian freedom issue 01:08:27 — Closing thanks 👤 KATHRYN FRANCISCO — Donor-conceived adult, Public Discourse contributor, former Secretariat at IIRRM, advocate with Them Before Us. 👤 DR. J — Founder & President, Ruth Institute. Economist, author, host of The Dr. J Show. DrJShow, RuthInstitute, JenniferRobackMorse, KathrynFrancisco, DonorConception, SpermDonor, IVF, ThirdPartyReproduction, RestorativeReproductiveMedicine, DonorConceived, KatyFaust, ThemBeforeUs, FertilityIndustry, AnonymousUs, NaProTechnology, CreightonModel, ChildrensRights, CivilizationOfLove, CatholicFamily, FamilyBreakdown, BiologicalParents, DonorConceptionHarm, PublicDiscourse

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse joins Catholic Connection to discuss the moral and legal concerns surrounding transgender participation in sports and the ethical questions raised by surrogacy and reproductive technologies. She explains why these issues matter for children, families, Catholic education, and the broader culture, and how natural law and Catholic teaching offer a clear framework for understanding the dignity of the human person.

Most people overlook the deep ways men express their love and purpose—until they see how their passions shape the world around them. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse shares how the innate curiosity of boys drives them toward entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, and building a civilization of love — if we let them. In this episode, discover why men gravitate toward machines, tools, and creation, and how that reflects their essential role in society. We break down the biblical roots of masculinity in Genesis, revealing why differences between men and women are not just natural but vital to flourishing relationships and communities. Dr. Morse dives into the dangerous trends of gender confusion, exposing how ideology distorts the very nature of masculinity and femininity—with real consequences for young people today.

We discuss the misconceptions surrounding "toxic masculinity" and emphasize the positive roles men play in society. Dr. Morse shares insights on gender roles, the impact of societal changes on marriage and family, and the educational challenges facing men today. Tune in to understand how embracing the complementary nature of men and women can lead to a more balanced and supportive community.