I just saw a news article about a woman in labor driving herself to the hospital. She was ticketed for speeding, but incredibly, the cop didn’t buy her story. She had to provide him with proof of her pregnancy!

In all fairness to the cop, I suppose he’s seen and heard just about everything. I assume that there are people who lie about labor and pregnancy just to get off without a ticket. I feel so sad for this woman because, I’ve driven myself to the hospital while in labor. It isn’t easy to do.

This brings up a good point which isn’t normally a topic of conversation–just how are you getting to the hospital? Perhaps your spouse is in the military and is deployed and you are “alone”. Perhaps you are a single mom without any family support. I knew of one woman who planned to take the bus to the hospital as she had no car and lived a long way away from her family. Taking the bus isn’t the best strategy.

I know of military families who have a relative come to stay with them during the last few weeks of the pregnancy to be available for the inevitable. I know of women who have asked their neighbors to take them to the hospital and I also know of women who have taken a taxi when “the time” arrived.

I can honestly say that driving while in labor was a scary and very dangerous thing for me to do. Can you imagine being pregnant and getting into a car accident on the way to the hospital? At the time, I just didn’t feel I had a lot of options though and wasn’t thinking very clearly. I’d made arrangements for a relative to take me to the hospital and when I ended up going into labor very early on a holiday no less, the person wasn’t available. Some folks asked me why I didn’t just call an ambulance, but I was worried about co-pays and insurance deductibles. How could I pay $500 for the ambulance ride?

If I had to do it again, I’d have prepared for labor a  little better. I’d make sure to have several back up plans and if those plans fell through, I’d call the amubulance and make payment arrangements on that $500 fee. I guess hindsight is always 20/20!

President Bush just signed a new bill which bans lead from children?s toys. The bill also bans the chemical phthalates, which makes plastic softer, from products and also bolsters the budget and responsibilities of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Last year due to lead issues, over 45 million toys were recalled by the Commission, prompting parents to go through their children?s toys to get rid of unsafe and dangerous products. This bill will give the Commission the authority to oversee testing of toy products and also the authority to penalize those who violate the toy standards. By the year 2014, the Commission will have a budget of $136 million to accomplish these goals.

While this bill sounds like a wonderful thing, it raises more questions for me rather than giving me a sense of security. What does this really mean for the consumer? Will this affect the supply of toys? How will the Commission be able to adequately test and monitor the ever increasing supply of imported toy products? Will this bill actually make a difference?

If you are interested in seeing if you have any toys which have been recalled, or learning more about recalls or voicing your opinion on different products, you can check out the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

A married British couple recently found out they were twins separated at birth. When they found out the heart wrenching news, a court immediately annulled their marriage, but it hasn?t been reported yet how long the couple was married or involved. This discovery brings up issues surrounding the rights of adopted children and children conceived from donor eggs or sperm.

Many childless adults seek adoption or donors to help them become parents, but children might not learn their true origins.

The twins? sad story was revealed at a debate about human fertility and embryology law, adding to concerns raised about laws surrounding donor conception.

What is the right course of action? Parents have to consider how their child might feel if they knew they were conceived from a donor. On the other hand, traumatic situations like British couple?s might continue to happen if there isn?t full disclosure.

Adoption groups point out that today?s adoptions are much more open, and the twins are less likely to be separated now. But what about donor-conceived children? Is it fair to have the fact of their conception printed on their birth certificate (a public document)?

I think this issue brings up more questions than answers. Even if there are no adoptions or donors, many children have half-siblings they may never know about. Is it really something that government needs to get involved with? Or should it be left up to the parents?

As a single woman, I knew I wanted to have children one day, and I considered using a sperm bank. Though I didn?t choose that path to motherhood, I still know that my daughter may have siblings and cousins that neither of us will ever know about. Am I worried? Not really. There are billions of people in the world, so the likelihood she will ever marry a close relative is like finding a needle in a haystack.

What do you think? If you have an adopted child, are you concerned he may one day marry his sister? If you?ve used a donor egg or sperm, do you think it would be better for your child to know this information or not?