April 5, 2008 Pregnant man defends right to have 'miracle'
baby by Gulliver
A pregnant man says he is excited about the upcoming birth
of his miracle baby.
And 34-year-old transsexual Thomas Beatie, pictured here,
claims that he has as much right to have a child as anyone
else.
Mr Beatie was speaking on the American talk show Oprah about
the joy he and his wife Nancy were experiencing about his
six-month pregnancy.
Born a woman named Tracy Lagondino, Mr Beatie had gender reassignment
surgery. However, he chose to keep his female reproductive
organs.
He told TV show host Opray Winfrey that he opted not to do
anything with his reproductive organs "because I wanted
to have a child one day".
When a story about his pregnancy was carried in a gay magazine
last month, sceptical readers took it all with a grain of
salt.
Many felt the story was a hoax, especially since Mr Beatie
said he would not reveal anything until April Fool's Day!
But the critics were confounded when the Oprah show broadcast
ultrasound images and audio of the baby's heartbeat when Mr
Beatie appeared with his wife.
He told Oprah: "I can't believe it. I can't believe she's
inside me. This is a miracle. We see this as a miracle.
"I see pregnancy as a process and it doesn't define who
I am. It's not a male or female desire to want to have a child,
it's a human desire.
"And I'm a person and I have the right to have my own
biological child."
The couple revealed that many organisations they had contacted
for support cautioned them not to go public with their story.
"I think that people will be shocked because no-one's
ever heard of a man giving birth before. I guess it's a shocking
concept, but in this day and age that's possible. And it's
happening now," said Mr Beatie.
The baby was conceived after Nancy inseminated her husband
with sperm bought from an anonymous donor, the show was told.
The couple's doctor in Oregon had described the pregnancy
as "normal" and "an average pregnancy"
- in that the baby is totally healthy and developing well.
