Thomas是一個女變男的變性人，合法的男性身份，跟妻子Nancy結婚了10年。他們一直想要小孩，但妻子因手術關系而不能懷孕，而Thomas當初 做變性手術時只做了胸部手術和注射男性荷爾蒙，沒有做移除子宮手術，還是有能力懷孕。所以Thomas決定以自己男性身份接受試管受精手術。但在尋求醫生 幫助時受到很多歧視、拒絕，連家人也不支持他。Thomas第一次懷孕時因宮外孕而有生命危險，而他的brother還說：“It’s a good thing that happened. Who knows what kind ofmonster it would have been.” 現在他懷上了一個女孩，已經五個月了……
在俗世還在因為倫理、宗教、道德問題而譴責他們時，我只是覺得感動，十分感動……
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By Thomas Beatie
From The Advocate April 8, 2008
Labor of Love
To our neighbors, my wife, Nancy, and I don’t appear in the leastunusual. To those in the quiet Oregon community where we live, we areviewed just as we are -- a happy couple deeply in love. Our desire towork hard, buy our first home, and start a family was nothing out ofthe ordinary. That is, until we decided that I would carry our child.
I am transgender, legally male, and legally married to Nancy.Unlike those in same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships, or civilunions, Nancy and I are afforded the more than 1,100 federal rights ofmarriage. Sterilization is not a requirement for sex reassignment, so Idecided to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy but keptmy reproductive rights. Wanting to have a biological child is neither amale nor female desire, but a human desire.
Ten years ago, when Nancy and I became a couple, the idea of ushaving a child was more dream than plan. I always wanted to havechildren. However, due to severe endometriosis 20 years ago, Nancy hadto undergo a hysterectomy and is unable to carry a child. But after thesuccess of our custom screen-printing business and a move from Hawaiito the Pacific Northwest two years ago, the timing finally seemedright. I stopped taking my bimonthly testosterone injections. It hadbeen roughly eight years since I had my last menstrual cycle, so thiswasn’t a decision that I took lightly. My body regulated itself afterabout four months, and I didn’t have to take any exogenous estrogen,progesterone, or fertility drugs to aid my pregnancy.
Our situation sparks legal, political, and social unknowns. Wehave only begun experiencing opposition from people who are upset byour situation. Doctors have discriminated against us, turning us awaydue to their religious beliefs. Health care professionals have refusedto call me by a male pronoun or recognize Nancy as my wife.Receptionists have laughed at us. Friends and family have beenunsupportive; most of Nancy’s family doesn’t even know I’m transgender.
This whole process, from trying to get pregnant to being pregnant,has been a challenge for us. The first doctor we approached was areproductive endocrinologist. He was shocked by our situation and toldme to shave my facial hair. After a $300 consultation, he reluctantlyperformed my initial checkups. He then required us to see the clinic’spsychologist to see if we were fit to bring a child into this world andconsulted with the ethics board of his hospital. A few months and acouple thousand dollars later, he told us that he would no longer treatus, saying he and his staff felt uncomfortable working with “someonelike me.”
In total, nine different doctors have been involved. This is why ittook over one year to get access to a cryogenic sperm bank to purchaseanonymous donor vials, and why Nancy and I eventually resorted to homeinsemination.
When I finally got pregnant for the first time, I ended up havingan ectopic pregnancy with triplets. It was a life-threatening eventthat required surgical intervention, resulting in the loss of allembryos and my right fallopian tube. When my brother found out about myloss, he said, “It’s a good thing that happened. Who knows what kind ofmonster it would have been.”
On successfully getting pregnant a second time, we are proud toannounce that this pregnancy is free of complications and our baby girlhas a clean bill of health. We are happily awaiting her birth, with anestimated due date of July 3, 2008.
How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible. Despite the factthat my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable andconfident being the man that I am. In a technical sense I see myself asmy own surrogate, though my gender identity as male is constant. ToNancy, I am her husband carrying our child—I am so lucky to have such aloving, supportive wife. I will be my daughter’s father, and Nancy willbe her mother. We will be a family.
Outside the local medical community, people don’t know I’m fivemonths’ pregnant. But our situation ultimately will ask everyone toembrace the gamut of human possibility and to define for themselveswhat is normal.
據美國媒體25日報道，美國俄勒岡州的托馬斯·比提是一名變性人，在接受“由女變男”變性手術，並成為法律意義上的男性後，他就和自己的戀人南茜正式結了 婚。在毫不知情的鄰居們眼中，比提夫婦和其他恩愛的美國夫婦一樣普通。然而，由于南茜接受過子宮切除術，無法懷孕生子，渴望擁有兒女的丈夫托馬斯決定親自 通過試管受精懷孕，幫助不孕症妻子生兒育女。目前，托馬斯已經懷上了5個多月的身孕。
停止男性激素注射
兩年前，比提夫婦從夏威夷島搬到了俄勒岡州生活，他們辛勤地工作，買了第一座房子，並渴望生兒育女組建一個完整的家庭。然而，懷孕生子卻成了比提夫婦最遙 遠的夢想，因為“變性丈夫”托馬斯壓根無法提供精子，而妻子南茜多年前遭遇嚴重的子宮內膜異位症，早就切除了子宮。
于是，在法律意義上已是男性的托馬斯決定親自懷孕生一個孩子。托馬斯說：“在法律意義上我是一個男性，我和南茜合法地結了婚，我們可以享受至少1100條 聯邦婚姻法權利。不過，在我接受變性手術時，我只是進行了胸部改造手術和睪丸激素治療，而沒有對生殖器官進行改造，所以我仍然具有懷孕生育的能力。”
當“變性丈夫“托馬斯決定親自懷孕生子後，他開始停止接受兩月一次的睪丸激素注射。4個月後，托馬斯就恢復了停止8年的月經。
醫院拒絕提供支持
然而，當托馬斯試圖到美國不孕症醫院中接受試管受精手術時，卻遭到了所有醫生的拒絕，因為“變性人”懷孕將引發巨大的法律和倫理爭議。托馬斯回憶說：“所有醫生幾乎都對我報以歧視的態度，醫院的接待員甚至嘲笑我們。我們的朋友和家人也不支持我們的想法。”
最後，萬般無奈的托馬斯開始和一個冷凍精子銀行取得了聯係，並購買了幾小瓶匿名捐贈者的冷凍精子，他決定在家中自己進行人工授精。可托馬斯做夢也沒想到的是，當他第一次懷孕時，他竟然懷上了三胞胎，並且還遭遇了宮外孕，差點兒因此丟了性命。
不過去年，托馬斯再次懷上了身孕，這次他懷上的是一名女嬰，並且沒有遭遇任何並發症。托馬斯說：“她的預產期大約為2008年7月3日。”
托馬斯稱，盡管他現在腹中懷上了一個女嬰，但他從內心中仍然認為自己是男人。(愛爾)
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