Mallory Weggemann, Paralympic swimming champion, fights for IVF access

That children like Charlotte – their very existence – are in question is a painful insult to couples who have fought desperately to become parents.

“Our daughter does not exist in a world without science,” Snyder said. “Through our film you see our journey together, husband and wife, in the operating room. Seeing the (embryo) transfers, the highs and lows, the loss we have experienced and then finding our greatest joy. That doesn’t happen without access to IVF.”

A few weeks ago I shared with you the story of other men who only became fathers with the help of assisted reproduction. Whatever you think of Governor Tim Walz’s politics, know this: His candor about his and his wife’s infertility journey has helped other men longing to be fathers feel less alone.

We still have a lot of work to do to reduce the stigma and shame surrounding male infertility. When people heard that Weggemann and Snyder couldn’t have a baby, many assumed the condition stemmed from Weggemann. This may be due to long-standing views on disability and motherhood. Weggemann was paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 18 after a failed epidural to treat back pain.

“There’s a lot of unconscious bias that the disability community is not sexually active,” Weggemann says. “Then how can we have children?”

Another misconception, of course, is that infertility is simply a women’s problem. This is despite the fact that men and women contribute approximately equally to the condition.