California’s Nadya Suleman a.k.a “Octo-Mom” and her eight newborns have sparked the debate of whether Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is ethical.
In 2002, about 6.1 million women were affected by infertility, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) national survey of family growth.
To many women and their partners, ART is a blessing. In 2002, approximately one in every hundred babies born in the US was conceived using ART.
Fertility treatments like fertility drugs and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) have been used safely and successfully for over 30 years.
The question to ask is not whether fertility treatments are considered ethical, but whether the doctors who misuse these treatments are ethical. In the case of Suleman, it was unethical for the doctor to continue transfer six embryos and two split all at once.
In an American Medical News article by Kevin O’Reilly, Pasquale Patrizio, MD, director of the Yale Fertility Center said, “No matter how much a patient may insist on a transfer of such a large number of embryos, it is out of the question and the request should not be honored at all.”
A large amount of embryos poses a health risk not only to the fetuses but also the mother.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has set guidelines that no more than two embryos be transferred for a woman under 35.
Thanks to these guidelines, the percentage of high-order, multiple births has dropped significantly.
There are also precautions doctors can take to avoid high order multiple births and with these resources there are no excuses to have multiple pregnancies.
It is a couples’ right to have their own biological children, so the process used to have them, whether medical or natural is a moot point. Not to mention, infertile parents and gays and lesbians now have the chance for a family.
If abortions are legally allowed through medical intervention to stop a pregnancy, then why can’t fertility treatments help infertile couples to have their own biological children?
If these treatments, like any other medication are improperly used, then of course there could be repercussions.
However, when used correctly, fertility treatments can help make a beautiful family like the famous John and Kate plus eight who have shown America that raising multiple children are multiple blessings.
