By: Christina McCarthy
Hi everyone! I can’t believe my second semester as a Reproductive Rights Intern has come to an end. Despite the recent transition to working remotely, I was still able to successfully complete my project with Dr. Johnson. Rather than meeting each week in person, Dr. Johnson and I set up weekly zoom meetings to discuss my progress. Thus far, I have researched legal statutes regarding egg donation and gestational surrogacy for over 20 states! My ability to navigate legal databases has improved immensely since the start of the semester. I am now well acquainted with the database LexisNexis and I am comfortable searching for information using the legislative archives for each state. However, my journey as a Reproductive Rights Intern is not over yet! I am excited to continue my work as an intern this summer. After researching all 50 states, I plan to make a chart comparing and contrasting how each state classifies parentage under artificial insemination and gestational surrogacy statutes. I am specifically eager to begin researching the state of Louisiana. Dr. Johnson and I have been working on finding news articles and committee discussions to compare and contrast the states of Florida and Louisiana. We have uncovered some interesting findings and can’t wait to share it with you all once.
Additionally, working as an intern this semester cultivated my passion for reproductive sociology. In fact, I will be writing my Honor’s Thesis next semester with Dr. Johnson on the debate surrounding a woman’s decision to freeze her eggs. I am excited to learn more about assisted reproductive technologies and hope to one day pursue this specialty of medicine after medical school.
I hope you are all safe and healthy and am hoping we are all back at Tulane in the fall to continue our work as students and interns! Bye for now!
Thumbs up to my fellow interns for finishing this semester and overcoming unforeseen challenges! Way to Go!!