With Friends Like These

Thanks to Karen for pointing out the absolutely appalling interview with Joseph Isaacs, the president and CEO of Resolve in this week's Newsweek.  The draft of the letter I'm hoping to send tomorrow appears below.  Please consider writing a letter of your own if you haven't already.

Joseph C. Isaacs, President and CEO
Resolve
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1350
Bethesda, MD 20814

Dear Mr. Isaacs:

I'm writing to let you know how disappointed I am with your responses in the March 13^th "Ask the Pro" column in Newsweek.

As the president of an organization whose mission is to "provide timely, compassionate support and information to people who are experiencing infertility and to increase awareness of infertility issues through public education and advocacy," you had an opportunity to clarify the struggles and medical issues of infertile people.  Instead, you left the faulty impression that women can avoid infertility if they "practice safe sex, maintain normal weight, avoid environmental toxins, don’t smoke and limit alcohol."  This dramatically overstates the control that women have over their fertility and suggests that infertility is not a disease, but rather a punishment for unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Like millions of women, I suffer from unexplained infertility.  After spending 3.5 years trying to have a child, I was fortunate enough to conceive by IVF and give birth in August of 2005.  What's more, I was lucky enough to be able to afford this treatment that was not covered by my insurance company, which, like others described on the Resolve website, has "been slow to recognize infertility as a disease."  Is it any wonder that insurance companies continue to deny that infertility is a disease when the President of the "only established, nationwide network of chapters mandated to promote reproductive health and to ensure equal access to all family building options for men and women experiencing infertility or other reproductive disorders," is himself so quick to point the finger of blame at women for causing their own infertility?

What's more, your advice that the first tests infertiles should have with an infertility specialist are "a temperature analysis so they can see if you're ovulating. A laparoscopy for women will check for obstruction" is alarmingly out of date.  Although basal body temperatures are useful in documenting a pattern of ovulation, women can begin tracking these patterns well before consulting a reproductive endocrinologist who can do more precise blood tests and ultrasounds to pinpoint ovulation issues.  Further, laparoscopy is an expensive and invasive surgical procedure that, while may be required as part of a complete infertility workup, is something that is generally undertaken after less expensive, less invasive tests such as a hysterosalpingogram have been performed.

 

I strongly suggest you step aside as the president and CEO so that a more compassionate, better informed individual can take the helm of Resolve to advocate for the medical needs of infertile people everywhere.

Sincerely,

Comments

[Amy]

That is a kick ass letter. Good job!

[Andrea]

You rock!!

[Cat, Galloping]

Well put. And why the hell is a man running that organization anyway?

[beaver girl]

Thank you! this is great! I will follow your lead and write a letter too.

[Kate]

Well said! Think I'll pen one too...the sorry MAN.

[Moxie]

Excellent letter.

I'm stunned at that interview. Simply stunned. Especially when he says that obesity is a cause of infertility, rather than that infertility and obesity might be effects of hormonal imbalances. This is 6th-grade level science.

This guy shouldn't be president of anything.

[heather]

Fucken eh! Pardon my french, but I'm just appalled at this jerk's gall in the interview. Good for you for writing a powerful and concise letter of disapproval.

[Julie]

Oh, man, do I love that letter. You are downright inspiring!

[Molly]

Here, here!

That letter is so well-written, I don't know that I could have anything more to say. I may write one, nonetheless. The more voices, the more attention they'll pay.

[Cory]

First-time commenter here...surfed over from your last comment at Leery Polyp. Just had to drop you a line and tell you how much that comment totally cracked me up! ("I'm so tired of all the fucking babies!") Hilarious!!

Also, I'm glad I wound up here when I did... Great letter you wrote there!!

[melinda]

You may want to send copies of the letter to the Board of Directors of Resolve. They would be very vital in removing him and hiring another President, and they need to know how angry you (and probably most other resolve members) are. (Although, I looked at the Board's biographies, and these people should know better than to let some idiot misrepresent infertility to the national media.) Your letter was great, by the way. Maybe you should be the new President!

[runnerwoman]

I'm absolutely stunned. Instead of buying various gifts for the people hosting my baby shower, I was going to make a donation in their name to Resolve. Now, not so much. I think I'll tell Resolve that.

[Cecily]

Wow. I hope the fault is Newsweeks, that they edited out two thirds of what he said, because that was seriously fucked up. What an ass.

Great letter, and mine is on it's way. I'll be adding something about the fact that I'm fat and it's my hubbie that's infertile. :)

[Julia S]

Great letter.

[Sherry]

Oh. Dear. God. What the hell is this guy smoking and who was on the pipe when they put this jackass in charge?

I believe I'll join the letter writing campaign, with a vengence.

Thanks, BG for bringing this to our attention.

[Dee]

Amen, sister, amen. Nice letter :-)

I'm the vice president of my local Resolve chapter and was appalled when I saw this. What more can I say? Hopefully, the organization gets it's act together and cans him. It'd be for the best.

But then again, maybe they'll buy into that 'any publicity is good publicity' theory and keep him. Needless to say, I haven't renewed my dues for this year, and now won't be doing so period.

[Menita]

I second the motion to copy the letter to the board of directors. Great, great letter.

[Menita]

And I'd also send a copy of the letter to Nesweek.

[Heather]

Great letter. Horrible interview. That guy really doesn't need to be the President of Resolve.

[susan]

I think he should get the info out that women should have frequent fsh measures. Noone seems to do this.

[Alan]

That guy doesn't deserve to be I'd better say. That was appalling.