The Duggers, the Arkansas family that stars in 19 Kids and Counting, recently miscarried their 20th child. They came under fire, more than usual, when they took photos of the 4oz, 6cm baby prior to a memorial service. It begs the question, when does one become a parent? At birth? At conception? Somewhere in between? When is it appropriate to take photos and have memorial services? Only after a live birth or a full term still birth? http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/12/photo-of-duggars-stillborn-baby-released/

This new marketing campaign, “Birds and Bees Can’t Always Make Babies,” is an entertaining look at the frustrations 1 out of 8 couples experience after they decide to try to become parents. http://www.increaseyourchances.org/

A potential new law in Mississippi could impact a lot of decisions surrounding becoming a parent. Here’s the story from the Nightly News: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#VpFlash

Good friends of mine have chosen to become parents by adopting twins from Ethiopia. Adopting was a part of their family plan since before they got married. Their journey has been fascinating. Read about it here: http://stefanichsteppingstones.blogspot.com/2011/11/love-at-first-sight-day-1.html?spref=fb

How much should career goals, dreams, ambitions, and loves factor into the decision how/when/whether or not to become a parent?

This couple wanted God to decide when they should become parents. They even wrote a book about Natural Family Planning…now, they are having second thoughts.

Married co-founders of babble.com share four taboos of parenting.

This study suggests that waiting until spring to conceive might reduce a child’s chances of having autism…

Here’s a really interesting article in which the author takes on the Catholic Church’s stand on IVF. The twist? His wife recently gave birth to a child that belonged to neither of them because of a mix-up at an IVF clinic. Still, they believe strongly in the morality of IVF and believe it should be an option supported by the Church.

“Carolyn and I would have been happy to save thousands of dollars and a decade of emotional ups and downs by conceiving the “old-fashioned way,” but that wasn’t possible. We turn to medicine for a litany of medical maladies and impairments, but infertile Catholics are supposed to avoid treating a medical condition which prevents them from building or expanding their family?”

Here is an interesting post that addresses the modern issue of money and becoming a parent- very relevant in the U.S. today.