An article published on Saturday, October 10, 2009 in the New York Times entitled “The Gift of Life, and Its Price,” discusses the complications associated with fertility treatments. In today’s society, with the popular television show Jon and Kate Plus 8 and celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez having twins, giving birth to multiples seems like a safe, and even popular thing to do. Using fertility treatments is increasingly common as women are waiting to have children later in life. However, many risks are associated with fertility treatments, causing dangers to both mother and baby.
The article discusses various ways fertility treatments can be abused. Doctors may not follow industry guidelines by implanting more than one embryo in the uterus at a time. Since females are designed to only be able to carry one fetus at a time, being pregnant with twins is dangerous. It strains the mother, as she cannot provide enough nutrients for the babies, and it strains the babies as they are cramped in a womb that is not big enough for both of them.
Multiples are almost always born prematurely, which can lead to birth defects, mental retardation, and even death. Premature birth also leads to longer hospital stays for the mother and child, which causes higher medical bills.
Of course couples want to have their own children. Sometimes fertility treatments are their only option. Do you think the government should regulate fertility doctors’ procedures when it comes to fertility treatments? Should fertility doctors only be able to implant one embryo at a time?
There was a recent report done on Good Morning America that talked about how a fertility clinic lost embryo's of a couple who wanted to have the process done and clinics who also implanted the wrong embryos in the wrong women. Horror stories like these are the reasons why I strongly believe that the American government should definitely regulate fertility doctors' procedures. Implanting multiple embryo's in women many times result in the women having more than one child at a time. The only reason why I think that government should regulate this process is because being pregnant with multiple babies is a huge health risk to women, especially mothers who are up in age. I understand that some women are desperate to get pregnant, but endangering their health and the health of their children should be considered when attempting to have a family.
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