1 October 2014
By Caitlin Virtue
We live in a weird world. We have sex for pleasure and use contraception to prevent pregnancy. And later expect children for personal fulfilment, without the sex.
Those unable to naturally conceive can today try to manufacture a baby through IVF. In Vitro
Fertilisation (IVF) involves forming embryos from the eggs and sperm of
the couple or donors in a culture dish, then transferring them into the
female partner or a surrogate mothers uterus. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
(ICSI) is an IVF procedure where the sperm can be injected directly into the
egg.
It is illegal to pay donors in
Australia, but overseas the IVF industry can be a source of income for those
who donate the eggs and sperm.
US blogger Randi D of www.xojane.com revealed
she donated her eggs so she could travel around the world, in a process
requiring two weeks of injections and a small procedure under anaesthesia.
However, undergoing procedures involved in IVF
does not come without risks to donors, surrogates, prospective mothers and
babies. Studies suggest ovulation-stimulating fertility drugs used
during IVF increase the risk of birth defects and leukaemia in babies, and
increase the risk of ovarian cancer in women.
There have also been concerns voiced about health
risks to ICSI babies, such as higher rate of autism, mental retardation and
birth defects. Some scientists argue this is the result of the
process of natural selection being subverted, as the strongest sperm does
not necessarily fertilise the egg in ICSI.
So, is it wise to go against nature to produce life in a lab?
The want of a baby seems to be a first world problem the
wealthy can attempt to remedy with IVF. In spending money customers seek the
perfect outcome, yet support a system open to abuse by commercial surrogacy and
unethical arrangements, where there is an increased risk things could go wrong.
Remember Octomum - The single
mother of 6, who gave birth to another 8 babies conceived by IVF in one day?
Nadya Sulema is now surviving of food stamps and on probation after not declaring
money earned in the adult industry.
Every IVF baby has the right to
life, however, by producing more babies in a lab, IVF not only places extra
pressure on the health and welfare system, but also increases demand for
non-renewable natural resources. In an overpopulated planet, maybe it is not a
bad thing if some of the rich world, responsible
for overconsumption and enlarging the human footprint on our environment, do not breed.
Further reading
IVF
Australia: Genetic testing PGD, viewed 11 October 2014, <http://ivf.com.au/fertility-treatment/genetic-testing-pgd#testing-for-translocation>.
IVF
Australia: IVF Treatment, viewed 11 October 2014, <http://ivf.com.au/fertility-treatment/ivf-treatment#how-does-ivf-work->.
Randi D 2014, I Donated My Eggs So I Could Travel the World, viewed 11 October 2014,
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/xojane-/donate-eggs_b_5884734.html>.
Naish,
J 2012, It brings joy to
countless families, but as another disturbing study emerges, what is the truth
about IVF and birth defects?, viewed 11 October 2014
Pearce, F 2014, It’s
not overpopulation that causes climate change, it’s overconsumption, viewed 17 October 2014, <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/19/not-overpopulation-that-causes-climate-change-but-overconsumption>.
Pedersen, T 2013, IVF procedure linked to higher autism risk,
viewed 11 October 2014, <http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/07/06/ivf-procedure-linked-to-higher-autism-risk/56898.html>.
USA
today: 8 facts about Octomum Nadya Suleman 2014, viewed 15 October 2014,
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/24/8-facts-octomom/4816235/%3E.>.
White, H 2012, IVF and the ‘right’ to be a
parent: the child as an expensive lifestyle accessory, viewed 11 October 2014, <http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ivf-and-the-right-to-be-a-parent-the-child-as-an-expensive-lifestyle-access>.
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