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DESIREEBASKINS

Articles Posted: 10  Links Seeded: 0
Member Since: 1/2008  Last Seen: 11/18/2009

A Pregnant Man?

Sat Apr 5, 2008 9:19 PM EDT
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By DesireeBaskins

Thomas Beatie, 6 months pregnant

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Thomas Beatie, a 34 year old man from Bend, Oregon is pregnant. How is this possible? Thomas is a transgender. Thomas was born Tracy. Before he became Thomas, he participated in beauty contests. He always leaned more towards male gender roles, but it wasn't until his early twenties when he wanted to become a man.

Thomas lived life as a man for a year before he has his sexual reassignment surgery. He had his breasts removed and manipulated to look as if it was a male's chest. He did not have his reproductive organs operated on. He knew that one day he wanted to have a child. Thomas said that he didn't feel like having a child was a woman's desire, but a human desire.

After his surgery Thomas was legally recognized as a male and was able to legally marry his wife, Nancy. The couple knew that they wanted a child, but Nancy is no longer able to conceive. (Nancy has 2 daughters from a previous marriage. So they began their search for a doctor that would take them. 9 doctors rejected them until they found Dr. Elizabeth James. They purchased anonymous donor sperm and Nancy performed the artificial insemination. Thomas got pregnant once before through artificial insemination but the pregnancy resulted in an ectopic pregnancy.

Thomas is 6 months pregnant and is due in July to give birth to a baby girl. Legally Thomas is the first man to become pregnant. Obviously a man does not have ovaries or a womb to carry a child, but since Thomas is legally viewed as male and is legally married to his wife, Tracy, he is a man that is pregnant. Technically speaking, no a man is not pregnant, so the title "Pregnant Man" is not true. This controversial issue is definitely something to watch.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23482682-401,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XyJlWQnMTU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhokhWnm2m0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISAsmPvTlOA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gl6POM_cTw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJk099lOGG8

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vwyandt

I think that this is a crazy story. I think that the news needs to leave people like this to live their lives the way they choose. Everyone is different. If life intended everyone to be the same then we would be. we are not. so therefore embracing beauty is natural. Everyone deserves to live a life of hapiness aslong as it is not to hurt other people.

  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Sat Apr 5, 2008 10:50 PM EDT
Angela Lagano

I don't really agree with your statement "Technically speaking, no a man is not pregnant, so the title "Pregnant Man" is not true," because he is a man. He may not have been born a man, and he may not have lived as a man his whole life, but he is a man, and should be treated the same as anyone else is treated. I applaud this man, because an eptopic pregnancy is a horrible thing to go through, male or female. I hope his pregnancy comes to term and that his baby lives a wonderful life.

  • 1 vote
Reply#2 - Sat Apr 5, 2008 11:28 PM EDT
DesireeBaskins

That is not what a meant by that at all. I would consider him a man. All I meant by that is when you hear a man is pregnant you think of a man who is born a man, not someone like Thomas. I support their decision and also hope this baby grows to be healthy and adds to this family's happiness.

  • 1 vote
#2.1 - Sat Apr 5, 2008 11:47 PM EDT
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DesireeBaskins

This is not something that you heard about everyday. Gays, lesbians, and transgenders/transexuals are considered minorities. I think they deserve to be treated just like any other person. They are human beings. So what if they are different. I completely support gay marriage and this couple's decision to have this baby. They deserve the right to have a family. Just because someone is different than you, doesn't mean they are weird or should be treated differently. Even if it goes against your religious beliefs, doesn't mean that you should treat them with anything but love and respect or go against your own teachings to judge them.

  • 1 vote
Reply#3 - Sat Apr 5, 2008 11:29 PM EDT
ablair928

This story is blown entirely out of proportion. I've seen so many headlines about it, and most of them are about judging him and his family. The media takes so many stories and exaggerates them to confuse people. I wasn't really sure what this whole thing was about until I read your article. I think people need to just let this man and his wife have their baby in peace just like any other family.

  • 1 vote
Reply#4 - Sat Apr 5, 2008 11:46 PM EDT
DesireeBaskins

I couldn't agree more. The whole reason why this couple went on Oprah was so that they could tell the story their own way before the media spun it way out of control. Who cares if they decided to have a baby. It's their decision, not ours.

  • 1 vote
#4.1 - Sat Apr 5, 2008 11:49 PM EDT
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