Sid,
The purported fact, the statistic, that one in six pregnancies results
from in vitro fertilization seems amazing, but when I think about it, maybe
it is not so amazing. Today I received in the mail the current issue of
Newsweek magazine: there is an interesting article in it about women who
delay starting a family, getting pregnant, until "later" in life and then
have subsequent difficulties in getting pregnant. My brother and
sister-in-law went to the Mayo Clinic 10-15 years ago for infertility
treatments, and, at that time, it seemed to me to be unusual for couples, who
wanted to have children, but had difficulty getting pregnant, to undergo such
infertility treatments. Now, in my observation, it is very common for
couples to undergo infertility treatments, even such seemingly uncommon
treatments as in-vitro fertilization.
I used to go to women lawyers' meetings, and we would talk about
job-related topics; now we talk about infertility treatments, including
in-vitro fertilization, and who has undergone which treatment and who is now,
or not now, pregnant. I know women in their lates 20s and early 30s who
have delayed getting pregnant until after law school, and somewhat older
women who have delayed getting pregnant until after they are established in
their law careers, and they are pursuing or have pursued various infertility
treatments, including in-vitro fertilization. I also know several male
attorneys who have confided in me their ( and their partners') difficulties
with infertility. And, I know others as well, outside my occupation, who
have or who have had these difficulties.
I have no idea of the actual numbers, but I personally think
infertility treatments, and even in-vitro fertilization, are common in our
time, probably more common than many of us realize. And this is totally
speculative on my part, but my observation would be that many people, even in
catholic Green Bay, Wisconsin, and elsewhere in religious sectors of the
United States, know people who are desperately trying to get pregnant and
who, if they have the money and the biological time, will go to seemingly
extreme, and semingly uncommon, measures to get pregnant. That explains to
me all the frozen embryos in all those labs all across the country, and
probably the world as well.. And that explains to me all those complicated,
soul-searching, gut-wrenching legal, ethical, scientific, and religious
arguments about what is appropriate to do with those frozen embryos.
And everybody knows about all those frozen embryos, and everybody
knows some couple, or often multiple couples, who are trying to get pregnant
and who are undergoing infertility treatments. And, in my mind, that
explains, in part, aside from all those compelling reasons discussed in the
media and on this list re: the rationality of support for stem cell research,
the willingness of people to go one more step, to go past in-vitro
fertilization and accept embryonic stem cell research as a possible means of
providing a treatment, or a cure, for debilitating diseases and conditions
such as PD. And, of course, all these people also tend to have personal
experience or knowledge of persons with diabetes, PD, Alzheimer's Disease,
spinal cord injuries, etc. And all these people see, or have seen, on
television or in movies such celebrities as Michael J. Fox, Christopher
Reeve, and Mary Tyler Moore.
I think we live in a brave, new world where in-vitro fertilization
occurs often and stem cell research is occurring or can occur. We can
catalog and present legal, scientific, ethical, and religious arguments for
and against in-vitro fertilization, for and against stem cell research, for
and against almost anything. (I apologize if I have made any scientific
errors here, but I am not a scientist). At the bottom is the public's, our
own, understanding, acceptance, support--and use or anticipated use-- of
these new, scientific procedures.
I am confused by the President's reported intention to retain
political support from the Catholic voting block (which supposedly had an
impact upon his election) and his careful handling of the recent visit of
the Pope (which may or may not have gone past normal diplomatic protocal).
If I had five seconds with the President, or with the Pope, I would say:
"Stem cells? You think all those designated voters, Catholic by religion,
will vote automaticly against stem cell research? Remember the birth control
pill, the polar opposite of infertility treatments, but the scientific wonder
of its time?" Think about it, public understanding, acceptance, support,
and use of a new, scientific development. All those many packages of birth
control pills being dispensed every day from probably every pharmacy in this
country and across the world.
Upon reflection I do think it is possible that one out of every six
pregnancies comes from in-vitro fertilization. I HOPE that the statistics
actually do show that one out of every six pregnancies in our time results
from the use of in-vitro fertilization. I think that that will make a
difference when we all sit down and think about our individual opinion, our
individual approach, in regard to stem cell research, our newest,
brave-new-world of scientific development.
[ I am still under self-imposed, house arrest with this cold, but the cat
thinks I am underfoot, interfering with his naps, and such, and he is
threatening to kick me out. He discovered the cords and wires to the PC
yesterday, and I expect a disruption in my e-mail momentarily, Katie.
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