Approaching a decade of supporting those experiencing infertility, the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF) is planning a celebration gala on Jan. 14 at The Stave Room. Elizabeth Carr, the first IVF baby born in the United States, is the guest speaker.
Founded in Atlanta in 2015 by CEO Elana Frank, JFF provides financial assistance, emotional support, and educational programming.
The average cost for one IVF cycle is $20,000 in the United States. While 12.5% of women are using infertility services, 17% of Jewish women are doing the same.
In early December, JFF held the second event in a series entitled “A Post-Roe World: Education and Advocacy” thanks to a grant from the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta.
JFF’s advocacy work was launched after the February ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that embryos created through IVF are considered children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.
The program featured a panel of experts: Lila Bradley, a named partner of Claiborne Fox Bradley Goldman LLC; Dr. Mimi Zieman, author and Nation Council of Jewish Women Atlanta Reproductive Rights chair; Nannette Herlands, clinical nurse; and Julie Cohen, JFF senior manager.
Herlands described working in an abortion clinic, and provided a medical perspective on the ever-changing climate around reproductive care.
“Gatherings like this are the ways to make change,” said Dr. Daniel Shapiro, a reproductive endocrinologist.
Coming up, JFF’s Rebecca Guttman is holding two virtual support groups: on Dec. 17 for infertility support and on Dec. 18 for surrogacy support. Register here.
