MMDad
Lem Putt
In the Sunday Washington Post Magazine there was an article called "Too Much to Carry?" about the reduction of fetuses in multiple pregnancy. It really made me think about an issue that I was aware existed but didn't know much about.
I've always been uncomfortable about the idea of IVF because it kind of seems like playing god with fertility. I see it as an issue of where I draw the line. I find it ethically acceptable to assist the body in acheiving what it is capable of, but only to a certain point. I find fertility drugs and IUF ethically acceptable, but IVF ethically unacceptable.
I have friends who used IVF to conceive their twins, one of whom has a serious birth defect probably due to the IVF. Their love for their children is the same as my love of my children. I understand why people choose IVF, and I find no fault in people who choose that route.
The Post article brings out the ugliest part of fertility treatment and IVF. It is non-judgemental, but it does bring out the reality of what happens. The mother is awake and knows exactly what is happening as the doctor kills the child within her. There are frequently psychological consequences as the parents see in the surviving children a constant reminder that they had to choose one child over another, as well as the fact that the child they know and love could easily have been the one who was killed.
For me, the article reinforced my beliefs that abortion is morally and ethically wrong. However, it does not change my opinion that the government has no place prohibiting abortion before a certain gestational age. I don't want a group of ethically corrupt politicians deciding ethics for the nation.
Here's a link to the article. Registration is required.
I've always been uncomfortable about the idea of IVF because it kind of seems like playing god with fertility. I see it as an issue of where I draw the line. I find it ethically acceptable to assist the body in acheiving what it is capable of, but only to a certain point. I find fertility drugs and IUF ethically acceptable, but IVF ethically unacceptable.
I have friends who used IVF to conceive their twins, one of whom has a serious birth defect probably due to the IVF. Their love for their children is the same as my love of my children. I understand why people choose IVF, and I find no fault in people who choose that route.
The Post article brings out the ugliest part of fertility treatment and IVF. It is non-judgemental, but it does bring out the reality of what happens. The mother is awake and knows exactly what is happening as the doctor kills the child within her. There are frequently psychological consequences as the parents see in the surviving children a constant reminder that they had to choose one child over another, as well as the fact that the child they know and love could easily have been the one who was killed.
For me, the article reinforced my beliefs that abortion is morally and ethically wrong. However, it does not change my opinion that the government has no place prohibiting abortion before a certain gestational age. I don't want a group of ethically corrupt politicians deciding ethics for the nation.
Here's a link to the article. Registration is required.