Grrr.

[holly_evolving]

Got too mad reading this article to finish it. I very strongly oppose fertility treatment, for a few reasons. Not gonna start unless a discussion happens in comments, though.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/health/11fertility.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Comments

[alphafemale1.livejournal.com]

I absolutely support fertility treatment, because without it I would not have my very precious goddaughter. And because Eric and I may need medical assistance in conceiving.

But I DO NOT support multiple births, at all. I also (possibly cruelly) do not support excessive measures for extremely premature babies. I also have to question the use of IVF in families that already have children.

I remember when the McCaughy Sextuplets were born, and when asked about the risk, the father said "God wanted us to have these babies". No, sir, you needed to use IVF to conceive these children- it wasn't happening on its own. God was pretty clear that he didn't want you to have them.

[holly-evolving.livejournal.com]

In a different economy, I would probably feel differently about IVF in general...although the IVF doctors I have met did creep me out A LOT (they wanted my eggs even after I told them my myriad of genetic issues--which no, they can't clean out). But I think I would still be opposed to multiple implantations.

It just got to me to read how very extreme some of the measures parents take are. I have to wonder if IVF doctors sometimes prey on the intense emotional state of the parents for the sake of profit and inflated success rates.

[alphafemale1.livejournal.com]

Oh, and after reading that article in it's fullness, I'm also compelled to point out that the high cost of care doesn't stop when those babies leave the hospital. Special Education services cost our school districts hundres of thousands dollars a year, and almost every single one of those "premies" will require special services, costing the school extra money, and impacting the quality of education for other students.

Special education law is a pet peeve of mine. I lost my job in part because the school district had ONE special needs child that cost the district $100,000 in services alone. Because if a child needs a program, the school district must provide it- and if your school district doesn't have it, then the school district MUST pay another district for it, including transportation, even if that child is the only one on the bus, for instance.

I think that also needs to be communicated to these parents who chose to continue high-risk pregnancies, that the cost and the emotionally stress don't just end when the baby comes home.

[holly-evolving.livejournal.com]

And that's exactly the sort of thing that the article (and subsequent discussion on fark.com) let me to believe is NOT discussed with the parents beforehand. I worry about the ethics of some IVF doctors. Why would you even accept a prospective parent for treatment if you knew that their income meant that the costs might break their bank and inhibit their child's care for life?

[unseeliequeen.livejournal.com]

I remember learning that reproduction is essential to the species for survival but not to the individual. Society needs to get over this selfish idea that everyone should have a baby or six.

People should not have litters. End of story.

[holly-evolving.livejournal.com]

The sell is that more implants at once means that one is more likely to take...which is true, and helps cut down on the length of time spent on paying for IVF. But of course multiple implants means a risk of multiple embryos. And I do think part of the problem is the combination of IVF doctors who are trying to earn a profit and parents to emotional and hopped up on hormone treatment to make a calm, rational decision.

Like I said, if the economy weren't so screwed, I wouldn't take issue with fertility treatment in general. But multiple-implant IVF just seems like the path to poverty and heartbreak to me.

And yeah, I don't get why people feel the need to raise a kid with their own genes...but then I don't see why people feel the need to raise a kid at all, when the world is so overpopulated with people. So maybe I'm missing something.