The AMA Advisory Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues hosted a special LGBT and Allies Caucus and reception Nov. 7 in conjunction with the 2014 AMA Interim Meeting in Dallas. The focus of the caucus was the contemporary context of family building.
The committee changed the name of the caucus to include health care allies in order to be as inclusive as possible.
Participants enjoyed a panel presentation about the contemporary context of family building options. Andy Miller, co-founder of the Handsome Father, presented an overview of the current context of family building, including such options as gestational and traditional surrogacy, adoption, assisted reproduction, guardianship and fostering.
Miller also reviewed the various obstacles to successful family building and the important role of the physician during all phases of the family building process. Physicians were cautioned not to make assumptions about their patients or focus on the sexual orientation, presumed gender roles, age or marital status of the parents. Rather, physicians should focus on the health and well-being of the infant or child involved.
The highlight of the panel presentation was the personal stories. Dorothy Sippo, MD, and Terrance Hines, MD, shared their personal journeys with in vitro fertilization and adoption.
Medical students, residents and physicians who are interested in subscribing to the LGBT list serve can do so by sending an email to the advisory committee.
