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The American Fertility Association Blog

Madoff and Jackson and Family, Oh My.

June 30, 2009 - Tuesday
Posted by Corey

Can’t choose ‘em.  Your family that is. So much has been going on in the press lately, what else is new?  Instead of focusing on Health Care, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, it is so much easier to focus on personalities and their stories, especially if they are tragic.  Good luck to you if you try to avoid it. 

Yup, family. 

Family men.  I remember a few months ago the New York Times ran a story on the male biological clock http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05wwln-lede-t.html that really gave me pause.  It featured a photo of Pablo Picasso as an old, yet vigorous man, holding up his baby son Claude.  About a hundred years ago I was friends with Claude’s ex wife, Sara, in NYC and I remembered that photo immediately.  Sara and I were young women together, selling advertising for the New York Yellow Pages and we used to laugh over that picture.  Sara always referred to Claude as “Pablo Picasso’s illegitimate son Claude”. 

But it was always clear to me (and to Sara too) that Pablo loved his son.  The love of a father for his son, for his child, is one of the most precious things on earth, of that I’m sure. 

Fathers. 

When I first heard that Michael Jackson had died my first reaction was ‘holy shit”.  Yours too I bet.  But my second reaction was, how are those kids, Michael’s kids?  And to be honest, and I said this to Brian (Armentrout, The AFA’s Communications Director) “Are his kids better off now?”  Because I remembered that horrible footage of Michael dangling his son off of the balcony.  Who doesn’t?  Who could possibly forget that image.  And I remembered the charges of child molestation, later dismissed.  As the days have gone by, and more and more voices have risen to the surface, I think I was wrong in my second reaction to Michael’s death.  I don’t think his kids are better off.  I think that Michael was unusual, yes.  Oh boy yes.  But I think he loved his children, and clearly wanted them so much that he hired two surrogates to conceive them.   

Madoff, I can’t even stand writing his name on paper.  My friend Jamie works for Hadassah and my own extended family was hurt by Madoff.  Not that you need a personal connection to hate this man.  And you know what else?  This is awful but I think he’s sexy.  Someone that evil doesn’t have the right to be sexy.  But I can see how he scammed people, that’s for sure.  Gawd, how lousy is that!

So.  Does Madoff love his sons?  Is he protecting them now?  He almost lost one son to cancer, did he actually scam, and deceive, a child of his own that he thought might not outlive him? Does Madoff love his sons?

Oh boy, family.  We at The AFA help you make ‘em.  What you do after that, is up to you.

Corey Whelan
Program Director
The American Fertility Association

Categories
Family Building



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