Jul 08
16
Man Who Was Pregnant Gives Birth : Can He Breast Feed?
The man who caused such a stir by being pregnant and being on the Oprah Winfrey show and in the news over these past few months, showing off “his” pregnant belly, has given birth. The man though, is really a woman becoming a man, so it’s not really the miracle that all the headlines would have you believe.Â
What’s funny about this story is that when I first read it I thought that an actual man, with all male plumbing had somehow miraculously conceived a baby, and that,I thought, was a miracle. But a woman who is a woman on the inside still but a man on the outside “cosmetically” having a baby isn’t a miracle, it’s just interesting news and a reflection on our ever diversifying population – a good thing, but nonetheless, an example of media sensationalism.
The man, named Thomas Beatie, has given birth to a baby girl on the 29th of June. But he won’t be able to breast feed because part of his transfer to a man (Thomas is a transgender man), he elected to have his breasts surgically removed, and has received hormone shots of the male hormone testosterone to remain with man-like features such as facial hair and a deeper voice, and rougher skin, all those things that make a man a man.
Beatie’s wife, Nancy, was not able to have childre, so Beatie stepped up to the plate and went about having a baby via artificial insemination. He has said that he opted not to have his (her) sexual organs (female) removed, because he did want to have children some day.Â
