Changes to SurrogateMother.com -

Dear Members of SurroateMother.com,
I first want to thank each of you for being a valued member of this community. You are what has built this site to what it is today and I cannot express the depth of my gratitude for your participation.

There has been quite a bit of activity as of late. The number of requests coming to my mailbox is pretty overwhelming. There are a lot of delicate issues at stake here. It has always been very important to me to allow this site to be a forum for open discussion. All discussion - the good, the bad and the ugly. It's important for everyone to be able to express their views and understand the challenges associated with Surrogacy. That being said - some commentary, as of late, needs to be toned down significantly. I realize that everyone will not always get along, but I need to ask you to respect one another and refrain from personal attacks.

I am also stepping aside as lead moderator of the site. Unfortunately, I've never quite had the time to get as involved as I like. Effective immediately I am placing Ivory Carter as the head moderator of this site. She will be responsible for all aspects of embracing and growing the community. Please welcome Ivory.

If you have any thoughts or potential issues please contact her and she will make sure to create the most effective solution possible. However, let me be clear, if we believe that any individual is not promoting a safe and peaceful environment - you will be banned, without recourse. I do not come to this decision lightly. I always want to err on the side of free speech, but it is clear that some members are taking this a bit too far.

Ivory is a wonderful and capable woman and I'm sure she will help take this community to the next level.

A word from Ivory:
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Allow Me to Introduce Myself

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the surrogatemother.com community and also outline some of my goals as your new moderator. First, I'll mention that it is a great honor for me to be involved with each of you as you share your stories, ideas, concerns, and personal expertise on the subject of surrogacy. I hope that my efforts to serve this community as a facilitator will enhance the time you devote to surrogatemother.com and its members.

It seems as though I've been in the role of counselor, diplomat, and mediator since childhood. That being said, it was only natural for me to pursue an education and career in mental health counseling. My passions in life surround the idea that society at large is responsible for being the voice for those who cannot speak or whose voice is stifled by some force beyond their control, and in the context of this responsibility, my role is that of advocate and counselor. My work at New Beginnings Sexual Assault Support Services as a clinical therapist and a victim advocate certainly allows me to fulfill my moral and ethical duties in our world. I find, however, that becoming involved in a network like surrogatemother.com serves a similar purpose. Surrogacy, bottom line, is a means by which people create new human life. Since the product of this community is essentially babies, I feel a great responsibility to advocate for these vulnerable, precious little human beings. I can do so by making my best effort of maintaining surrogatemother.com as a welcoming setting in which its members can safely and respectfully acquire much needed information about the surrogacy process. In my eyes, each member of this community holds a great responsibility to the beautiful little children that will be born as a result of surrogacy.

Human life is precious, and I believe surrogatemother.com is and can continue to be a healthy venue at which we can celebrate the miracle of conception, childbirth, and the parent/child/surrogate relationship. As moderator, I will be available to members in a variety of capacities. For one, I will be an information source. As I tell my clients for whom I'm advocating at New Beginnings, if I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does! Also, I will serve as a mediator when there are major conflicts affecting the community. I understand that from time to time tensions will run high in light of the seriousness of our subject of interest on this site. In these cases, I will preserve members' right to freedom of speech, all the while encouraging respectful and responsible interaction. I hope to see healthy and fair debate, however, I don't find that public personal attacks and accusations of impropriety are necessary in this environment. I ask that members address me personally regarding sensitive matters, and allow me the chance to do my job of helping the surrogatemother.com community remain a safe place for people to share and receive information. Another important capacity in which I will serve the surrogatemother.com community is as a sponge for your suggestions for the site. This site is for all of you, so I want to be sure that the resources on and environment of this network is one that is optimally useful for its members.

So, I will thank you all in advance as you show patience for me as I become familiar with my role as your moderator and your needs as members. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all, and watching families grow!

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Thank you again for being a member of SurrogateMother.com. We value your thoughts and opinions and want to make this the most wonderful and safe environment on the Internet to discuss surrogacy. I appreciate you helping us make this a reality.

Yours,
Tracy