Another 70-year-old in India has IVF baby

[Amby 490]

It does matter. Generation gaps. Older parents don't understand their children because they have no clue.

They don't have to "understand" them to be good parents.

I never said they'd be bad parents, but it's still unfair to your child if you're so old you can't understand them. In my experience (I know a few people like this) people with parents too old to know ####### is going on tend to leave their parents out of their life and aren't as close to them. They can't talk to them because they don't know ####### is going on.

That's true for ALL teens no matter WHAT age their parents are.

Not ALL teens. I never left my parents out of what's going on in my life. Being so close in age was great because my mom understood ####### was going on. She knew everything. We're very close. I know a lot of people like this.

[Gigli2008 70]

I have a question..........since to some bringing a child to life in such circumstances is selfish. Should the Sudanese in Dafur be viewed as selfish to continue to give birth to children whose life expectancy is minimal on the average? Should these Dafur parents consider that these children will soon be dying of malnutrition, disease, hunger, poverty etc?

I don't think the women there have a real choice in the matter since rape is rampant.

Are you saying that all those hundreds of thousands of children are rape children? The Dafur people are families as well. Full family units.

Nope, just saying that it isn't as cut and dry as you are trying to make it sound.

Do women there have full and unhindered access to a wide range of contreceptives and the education to use them? Are their husbands supportive of this?

Is abortion easily accessible there? What about other forms of OB/GYN care?

What rights do women have and what is their level of education in general?

I think it is selfish and cruel to bring a child into such a world IF you can prevent it. The if is, well, iffy here.

They have full access to FREE World Health Organization (WHO) condoms, they have health education especially where prevention of AIDS is concerned. They know that using a condom is one way of avoiding pregnancy and AIDS. I know this because I worked (more than 15 years ago) at an NGO that provided that Health Education through the UN directly to Dafur. You don't need aN elementary or high school education to understand prevention.

What you are saying is that the Dafur parents DO NOT want to have children but they do not how to NOT get them? You are basically underlining that they SHOULD NOT be wanting children because they know they cannot effectively raise them. You are saying procreation should only happen when one meets a certain poverty, age or economic criteria?

You would also be saying then, that because A certain State Governer who was told that her child would be born with Downes Syndrome should have heeded the advice of her doctor and aborted the baby, to save the baby from growing up different from what is considered normal.

Well...I will discontinue this particular discussion, coz it's either Coservative or its Liberal. Neither one of us will cross over. Thanks

[mawilson 2,133]

Not ALL teens. I never left my parents out of what's going on in my life. Being so close in age was great because my mom understood ####### was going on. She knew everything. We're very close. I know a lot of people like this.

Yeah, and look at the result.

Parents are not supposed to be your "best friends".

[Amby 490]

Not ALL teens. I never left my parents out of what's going on in my life. Being so close in age was great because my mom understood ####### was going on. She knew everything. We're very close. I know a lot of people like this.

Yeah, and look at the result.

Parents are not supposed to be your "best friends".

STFU! You'll be sorry for that!

[Dr. Obvious 49]

What you are saying is that the Dafur parents DO NOT want to have children but they do not how to NOT get them? You are basically underlining that they SHOULD NOT be wanting children because they know they cannot effectively raise them. You are saying procreation should only happen when one meets a certain poverty, age or economic criteria?

You would also be saying then, that because A certain State Governer who was told that her child would be born with Downes Syndrome should have heeded the advice of her doctor and aborted the baby, to save the baby from growing up different from what is considered normal.

I have no idea what the people of Darfur want. However, I cannot see the sense of breeding more children into that kind of awful, disgusting situation.

For what it is worth, I put my money where my mouth is. My husband and I cannot afford to have more children and give them the life we think they should have. Therefore, my husband had a vasectomy. No more kids for us. It isn't rocket science. Quality vs. quantity.

I would have aborted a baby with Down's Syndrome if I knew well enough in advance. There is no debate for me.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Not ALL teens. I never left my parents out of what's going on in my life. Being so close in age was great because my mom understood ####### was going on. She knew everything. We're very close. I know a lot of people like this.

Yeah, and look at the result.

Parents are not supposed to be your "best friends".

true that.

[Gigli2008 70]

What you are saying is that the Dafur parents DO NOT want to have children but they do not how to NOT get them? You are basically underlining that they SHOULD NOT be wanting children because they know they cannot effectively raise them. You are saying procreation should only happen when one meets a certain poverty, age or economic criteria?

You would also be saying then, that because A certain State Governer who was told that her child would be born with Downes Syndrome should have heeded the advice of her doctor and aborted the baby, to save the baby from growing up different from what is considered normal.

I have no idea what the people of Darfur want. However, I cannot see the sense of breeding more children into that kind of awful, disgusting situation.

For what it is worth, I put my money where my mouth is. My husband and I cannot afford to have more children and give them the life we think they should have. Therefore, my husband had a vasectomy. No more kids for us. It isn't rocket science. Quality vs. quantity.

I would have aborted a baby with Down's Syndrome if I knew well enough in advance. There is no debate for me.

I agree - no debate. We see life diferently. Luckily I am not alone.

[Amby 490]

wacken isn't alone either

[Gigli2008 70]

wacken isn't alone either

I did not mean in VJ. But you are right. The world is pretty much split in half over Pro-Life and Pro-Choice.

[Sister Fracas 5]

when you think of it, our body actually tells you when is the good time to have babies..(no religious connection here) so eventhough I'm all for science but I think in this case it is pushing it too far.

Exactly!

Is Amby and Sister Fracas one and the same person?

no, but our husbands may be related... LOL

[GiGii 4]

I think IVF at age 70 should be illegal. I actually think it should be illegal after 50. The goal of a parent is to raise their child, ensure they are fed, educated, supported and come out to be good people in life.... raise them. Having a kid at 70 means you are depriving it of a good parent. You can not run after them, you can't play games and do stuff like a much younger parent can. That child suffers a poorer quality of life, because of the parents selfishness to fulfill their want.

Also, I'm kind of against IVF all together. If God doesn't want you to have babies naturally, then he doesnt want you to procreate. There are so many kids in foster homes, or available for adoption. Save the $20-40K that IVF costs, and put it in an education fund for an adopted child.

I've read earlier in the thread about complaints on men, that they string you along, until its too late to have a baby. That is the womans choice then, to stay and be strung along. If your main goal in life is to have a baby, then act on it. I also dont believe in this day & age its better to have kids in late 40's or 50s, just because you werent financially sound to have them earlier. You plan your life, so you could have planned & better managed life to afford it.

I dont understand why people place their "wants" ahead of the child's "needs" that may not get addressed if the parent is no longer here to support them.

[mawilson 2,133]

Also, I'm kind of against IVF all together. If God doesn't want you to have babies naturally, then he doesnt want you to procreate.

Ouch.

[*julez* 124]

I thinks its wrong and irresponsible for a 70 year to have a child. If the kid is "lucky" the parent will live until 90, at which point the kid will have spent most of his/her life caring for the parent. Furthermore, depending upon other family members to raise your kid should you die is selfish and presumptuous. Most people have enough to take care of, without having to worry about taking care of a kid. Sure, parents of any age can die, but the older you are the greater your odds.

[MichelleN 0]

Also, I'm kind of against IVF all together. If God doesn't want you to have babies naturally, then he doesnt want you to procreate. There are so many kids in foster homes, or available for adoption. Save the $20-40K that IVF costs, and put it in an education fund for an adopted child.

Wow....words escape me...

Well not really but....you know the old saying..

If you can't say something nice...

[msu17 0]

Also, I'm kind of against IVF all together. If God doesn't want you to have babies naturally, then he doesnt want you to procreate. There are so many kids in foster homes, or available for adoption. Save the $20-40K that IVF costs, and put it in an education fund for an adopted child.

Wow....words escape me...

Well not really but....you know the old saying..

If you can't say something nice...

1) Do they not have adoption in India???

2) Sorry, but I agree with the above poster. Is having your egg and your husbands sperm combine and have 9 months of growing a baby worth 10's-100's of thousands? Really that's all it is. I have a very hard time seeing the cost-benefit ratio there. I won't say it's God's will, but I do think spending that much (especially doing like 5-6 rounds) gets to a point where it's just ridiculous. Adopting a child (especially an infant) is pretty much the same child rearing experience as having your own. PLUS, you get to help out a child who doesn't have a home AND not bring yet another child into an already over-populated world. I just can't get my head around the desire for a biological child that much.

3) I have older parents (not 70 at my birth, but in their 40's) and it sucks not having grandparents and knowing my kids won't have much time with them (if any). Both my parents were adopted by older parents. My father's were in their 60's. His mom wanted a baby so badly and she just smothered him, not a good situation there. Yes, there are benefits of having kids at an older age, maturity, financial security, wisdom to pass on, but a responsible person also needs to objectively look at the situation and realize when the amount of time they can spend with the child isn't much more than a few years if they live to an average life expectancy is worth it.

4) ####### were the doctors thinking??? Sometimes you need to say no.