Age cutoffs for having babies?
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| Photo credit: Sami and Mamita, by Dee |
A 66-year-old woman had a baby in Romania after undergoing fertility treatments.
A woman in California, who was 63, lied about her age to undergo IVF [in vitro fertilization].
That makes many people wonder:
How old is too old?
Should we stop an older woman from having a baby because the health risks are too high? Or should we allow anyone who can afford to do so to undergo IVF, regardless of her advanced age?
What do you think? Should there be an age cutoff for fertility treatments or should we allow anyone who wants to conceive a chance to do so?
Rights: People are concerned about an
epidemicof older women having babies, but in actuality there were only 323 babies born to women over 50 in 2003, a 23-percent increase over the 263 births reported for 2002.
Since 1997, when donor egg became available, the number of births for women aged 50–54 years has increased with an average annual gain of 14 percent.
Source: Births: Final Data for 2003
Of the 323 babies born to women over 50, only a small percentage would be Donor Egg. The rest would be a surprise to the woman, who probably thought she was in menopause. Oops!
We must be careful when we consider taking away a woman's reproductive rights. Currently they are talking about age 27 being the cut-off age for getting pregnant without medical help.
Who will be considered too old by the time your children have children?
TAXES: In 2003, there were only 323 babies born to women over 50 in the US. A large number of them were
oops!babies, not thru donor egg.
There have been only about six babies born to women over 60 since donor egg first became available. All were born to women wealthy enough to afford to pay for it - at $30,000 a cycle, and it took them several cycles to accomplish.
They have the resources to pay for nannies, night nurses, daycare, private school. They have made plans, have investments, created a will, chosen guardians in the event of their death. These were planned, very much wanted and anticipated babies.
How many children are born unplanned to teen moms, addicts, abuse? How many born into poverty, how many that end up in the
system?
QUOTE: Poverty affects all ages, but an astonishing 48% percent of its victims are children:
* About 15 million children -- one out of every four -- live below the official poverty line.
* 22% of Americans under the age of 18 -- and 25% under age 12 -- are hungry or at the risk of being hungry.
* Everyday 2,660 children are born into poverty; 27 die because of it.
* Children and families are the fastest growing group in the homeless population, representing 40%.
Source: Children in Poverty: America's Ongoing War
Honestly, where do you really think your tax dollars are going? To raise the 6 babies that
mightbe orphaned by older moms, who planned for their future? Or to take care of the thousands of babies born to young moms who abandon, die from AIDS, or have their children removed?
Face it, only the very wealthy can afford this option, and very few women in their 60s would have ANY interest in giving birth to a child at that point in their lives.
TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Motherhood After 35: Choices, Decisions, Optionsby Maggie Jones
-- How is having a baby different for women in their late thirties and early forties?
If you're between 35 and 45 and trying to have a baby, or have already conceived, here's the reassurance you need ... and the facts you've been waiting for.
Maggie Jones evaluates the advantages as well as the risks of later motherhood.
Whether you are considering your first pregnancy after 35 or are starting a
secondfamily later in life, Motherhood After 35 is written with you in mind.
The author describes simply and clearly how to have the healthiest pregnancy possible and the options available.
Paperback: 192 pagesClick to order/for more info: Motherhood After 35
Category: Donor Egg, Fertility, In vitro fertilization, IVF, Old Eggs, Too Old
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