Not everyone wishes to become an advocate. On the other hand, many of us do wish to educate the public and are looking for ways to feel comfortable as advocates. One woman, for instance, told me that she felt that as a successful GIFT patient she needed to serve as an advocate for other infertile people. She felt it was her duty to answer fully and truthfully the questions from strangers on the street about her multiples, and yet some of the questions she got made her uncomfortable. Adoptive parents of children who are ethnically different than their parents or two children who are very close in age have been dealing with the curiosity of strangers for years.
Experienced advocates suggest that consistency is important.
Clarify the questioner's motives. Patricia Irwin Johnston, M.S., is an infertility and adoption educator author and publisher providing workshops for consumers and professionals throughout the world. She may be contacted at Perspectives Press, P.O. Box 90318, Indianapolis IN 46290 and she expects to have an email address starting in August of 1995. This article is printed with permission of the author. Return to the main page of the photolisting.