A couple desperate to be parents asks: Will you help us pay for fertility treatments?

Post Standard, Syracuse NY ^ | 1/21/14 | By Elizabeth Doran | edoran@syracuse.com

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

After they give birth, then they’ll want the public to pay and pay and pay. I note that they haven’t tried prayer.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Clinics dispose of human embryos in two ways: by multiple fertilization, and then (sometimes)multiple implantation. Even if a particular clinic does not do multiple implantations, they ALL do multiple fertilizations. They have to. They can't have the buyer go through this very burdensome process, paying all that money, without hyperovulation, multiple fertilization, and embryo selection --- so you can select the best embryo and then discard or cryopreserve the rest.

I know what you mean by the daunting difficulties of adoption. We went through a very frustrating process with it, and finally adopted from Russia. The cost? I always tell people "As much as the new siding and windows on our house," which gives them a ballpark figure.

It's very understandable why people are tempted to do IVF, but it's really morally unjustifiable. It demeans the beginnings of life into a commercial transaction and a lab project. The law has already ruled (in the Maryville case) that the embryos are property: the first time human beings have been considered "property" since the Civil War.

[MrNeutron1962]

Our adopted son was mostly potty trained. Daylight hours went OK, sleeping, well it was about another year before he was 100%.

We have two older, high school aged children as well. Both are from my first marriage, but my current wife has adopted both of them as well.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Clinics dispose of human embryos in two ways: by multiple fertilization, and then (sometimes)multiple implantation.

I understand that. I don't get the objection to multiple fertilization as long as the parents is planing on having them implanted until they are all born.

Most of the time when you are dealing with female fertility issues you are not going to get that many eggs to fertilize.

In the case of male fertility issues I understand they fertilize only some they don't want to have more then can be reasonably carried to term and the rest are frozen. I will admit I don't know that many people in the industry but the ones I do know are quite careful about making sure that the embryos are not discarded but have every chance to grow and live.

There are other clinics that have no problem killing the babies for whatever reason. They are an entirely different kettle of fish.

It demeans the beginnings of life into a commercial transaction and a lab project.

I understand your feeling but have to disagree. It does not demean any more then having a hospital delivery, which is also a commercial transaction, demeans the birth.

The law has already ruled (in the Maryville case) that the embryos are property: the first time human beings have been considered "property" since the Civil War.

Sadly no. People have been considered property for one reason or another many times since the civil war. We move away from the idea and then backslide rather often.

[Mrs. Don-o]

We both deplore the concoction and the disposal of multiple human embryos which is so common in the IVF industry, so we have that in common.

However, with the other issues, you seem to be saying, "OK, it is demeaning, and it does treat the human embryo as product, a commodity, a form of property, but (shrug) that happens a lot, so...?"

(I'm trying not to exaggerate or misstate your comments, but you do indeed say that sometimes childbirth is accomplished in demeaning circumstances --- and human lives are often reduced to property... and... well?

"It [IVF] does not demean any more then having a hospital delivery, which is also a commercial transaction, demeans the birth"

Paying a midwife or OB/GYN for obstetrical services is not in itself demeaning at all. What would be demeaning, is treating either the birthgiving woman or the baby as an object. An embryo not in vivo is treated as if it were a tissue sample, to be evaluated and, if it fails to satisfy certain quality control criteria, discarded. It can't be denied that zygotes are evaluated and, if suboptimal in any way, disposed of. If this were not so, nobody would do IVF.

"People have been considered property for one reason or another many times since the civil war. We move away from the idea and then backslide rather often."

We can move away from it by moving away from IVF.