In the Best Interest of the Children

There has been much discussion lately surrounding Nadya Suleman, whose decision to give birth to the octuplets after undergoing fertility treatment despite already having six children has given rise to the debate over her ability to care for them and the possible drain on the public purse.

A lot of this discussion has focused personally upon the Mother and her decisions. Some of it seems to be directed personally towards the Doctor that assisted her.



Discussion of this sort is pointless, what is done is done, now that the children have been born it does not matter how or who or why…they must be cared for.



They were born within the framework of the laws and social programs as they exist today and now, in the best interest of the kids, we need to shift the spotlight from them to the real issue…what structure, regulation and ethical guidelines should we assign to reproductive technologies?



In cases of adoption a home study is required in many jurisdictions. A home study is the first step in the adoption process -- an assessment of the skills and talents of a potential parent. Why not make it the first step in the assisted reproductive process as well?

Most prospective parents find the study invasive and stressful. And that's putting it mildly. Why, they ask, do we have to put our lives under a microscope and prove our worthiness as parents when everyone else does whatever they like, without the slightest bit of scrutiny?

And they're right -- to a point. On the surface, a home study does seem a little unfair. But its other purpose is to educate and prepare you for all of the responsibilities and obligations that lie ahead.

We can’t and should not have the right to regulate natural reproduction and therefore cannot influence who will or won’t be a parent. When we are in a position to influence the reproductive process I think we do have a responsibility to ensure the viability of the child’s quality of life.

Adoption and assisted reproduction share one overriding characteristic. The prospective parent is choosing to have a child…it does not come by chance or circumstance…it is a choice with long term associated responsibility. Adoptive parents are generally required to provide an autobiographical statement, a medical report, police clearance and multiple letters of reference. Why not the same for parents choosing assistance?

One of the primary functions of the media is to ask questions and spark debate, so how about a debate leading to a solution to the ethical questions surrounding assisted reproduction?



Your Friendly Neighborhood Cyclist

“There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.”

-P.E.T. 1967

“That’s going to require Uncle Sam to quit being so squeamish about embryos—and it will require that stem cell scientists and the fertility clinics that provide embryonic cells for research open their doors a bit further to Sam’s prying eyes. The alternative is an expansion of today’s lawless frontier. And one thing this country does not need is a new Wild West on the outer borders of today’s reprotech badlands.”

-Rick Weiss 2008