BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids 60 Year Old N.J. Woman Mother of Twins

Anyone see this story today?
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Oy veh. My initial thoughts:

Point A. I'd like to see a discussion on the ETHICS of fertility treatments for women like this. I see she went to S. Africa for treatment; does the US have controls on these procedures for women of advanced age? (God, I hope so.)

Point B. This woman is allegedly a psychologist? And she thinks that her children (ALL of them) won't suffer because of her selfish actions? I guess it didn't say she's a GOOD psychologist.

Point C. The average life span for women is in the upper 70's. Assuming she lives that long, her youngest children can expect to bury their mother before they graduate college. That's real nice. Bet they'll appreciate that.

Point D. When did it become WRONG to let nature take its course when it comes to one's ability to bear children? It's great that the technology exists to help women who have a genuine medical need, but just so her her youngest (who was probably a menopause "oops", unless he was a medical miracle, too) can have a playmate is (a) hardly a medical emergency, and (b) just flat-out ridiculous.

End of rant.

What a selfish person she is. I find it appaling that this kind of thing is allowed.She has shown no regard for the welfare of the child.Its all about her.

No, no, Hope. I AM the selfish one because I'm over 40 and haven't run to my nearest fertility clinic to be impregnated with quintuplets! How DARE I not take advantage of this amazing technology in the name of womankind! Wasn't that one of her reasons - to reduce the "stigma" of older mothers? Yeah right. And never mind those pesky kids who result from it, or my ability to care for them until they are adults, or the toll it will take on me physically/mentally/financially. Bad Tbunny, bad - selfishly wanting my own quiet little life all to myself!

*Smacks*

Shame on you!

They just interviewed her on the Today show. She seems so deluded. Maybe it's the painkillers. She kept going on about how "wonderful" it is, and how she wants to be an example of how older women can still have babies, she hopes to be a positive example to her 29 year old daughter if she wants to have a baby in her senior years...blah, blah, blah. I agree, she is very selfish, and not thinking of her youngest children. Her husband appears to be around her age, so it's not like she has a younger husband to care for them if something happens to her.

There was a poll on the MSNBC website last night asking if people thought she was being irresponsible. Something like 74% of respondents said yes. I agree, it should be regulated somehow, but how? Government is very reluctant to interfere with the reproductive rights of citizens. Maybe it's up to each doctor and his/her individual ethics. She did go to South Africa to be impregnated in a fertility clinic there, so hopefully there aren't U.S. doctors that will accommodate a woman her age.

My mom is going to be 62 this year...I just can't imagine her having a baby! (She wouldn't want one anyway, she and my dad are enjoying their retirement and traveling!) They don't even want a dog right now because they're on the go so much!

Cindy

See! This is clearly a case of medical science advancing beyond the point where it is rational or ethical. Just because we have the capability to impregnate a 60 year old, doesn't mean you SHOULD!

I'm sure there are some out there describing this as a "miracle" and a "blessing"....but it really is an abomination against nature. There should be a law against this.

I find it interesting that the same people who use "the will of God" as their birth control method are some of the first ones who upon being unable to conceive, rush to the fertility clinic to take advantage of the latest Frankenstein-esque medical advances to impregnate themselves with scads of embryos. Seems that they shun science until it is convenient for them. Hmmm. Can you say hypocrites? And they do this after already having some kids naturally. Guess those kids they already have weren't good enough.

Yes, what's the next step? Impregnating an 80 year old? I hope not! But what's to stop that?

Today did have a Dr. on the show, and he cautioned that the older a woman is, the higher risk the pregnancy. For example, if the woman has high blood pressure, that's dangerous for the baby. (A friend of a friend of mine DIED along with her baby from late-term preeclampsia, basically high blood pressure during pregnancy, and she was only in her late 30s.) I think people are not thinking with their heads when they do things like this.

Cindy

This simply infuriates me. This woman is clearly irresponsible, self-absorbed, and not thinking beyond gratifying herself. And what do we do as a culture? We parade her all over the Today show and any other media outlet that will listen and fawn all over her like she is some kind of goddess or something. UGHHH!!! This baffles me. I hope her older kids want to raise their siblings because that is what they will be doing along with caring for their aging parents!

Now there is not only the expectation for the grown children to care for their parents when they're old, they also have to care for the underage children of the elder parents when they can no longer care for them! Boy, if I were her grown children, I'd make it clear that I would NOT be available to take on her babies if they become infirm and can't take care of them! They'd need to have some other arrangements in place if that happens!

Can you imagine being a kid and visiting your 70-something parents in a nursing home? Yikes.....

Cindy