News & Blog
I was the first IVF baby born in America, and here’s why it must be affordable
Published by Tampa Bay Times – Read the full editorial
Forty years ago, I was born the first in-vitro baby in the United States, thanks to the foresight of Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones at the Jones Institute in Norfolk, Virginia, who brought the then-groundbreaking procedure to this country.
I had to be born in Virginia, since IVF was unavailable in Massachusetts, following several failed attempts and countless obstacles. My parents had experienced setback after setback, a familiar story to the millions experiencing infertility today.
My birth, touted on front pages all over the world, became a modern medical miracle and represented hope to millions of Americans grappling with infertility. My successful birth was sensed as a colossal moment moving us into a new era of scientific-based medical fertility treatment. As a pupil of the Joneses who completed his Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship at their prestigious Institute, Dr. Samuel E. Brown, my co-author of this essay, knew something remarkable had taken place.
