(26 Sept. 2009, CNN) "Whoops" doesn't quite cut it in this situation! Imagine getting a call from the doctor letting you know that the baby you have been trying to conceive is actually not yours. The ethical thing to do next? I don't think anyone could be so sure...
The Savage family faced such a predicament after a clinic implanted the wrong embryo into Carolyn Savage's uterus. Although Carolyn decided to go through with the pregnancy as a surrogate, such a story serves as a stark reminder of the possibilities and disasters that technology brings, especially in an age where today's latest discovery will most likely be outdated tomorrow.
The mid-life panic that many women face when they find they're married and childless has been alleviated by reproductive technology to a certain extent. Today's generation of women are holding off on getting married, deciding to have children later in life. In certain respects, this broadens their scope of opportunities by allowing more time to prioritize goals. However, let's prepare ourselves for the possibility that things may go wrong when women tamper with artificial reproduction techniques.
...The option of deciding your child's physical characteristics? Eye color? Height? All I can say is that society will have to take the crash course on technological creation one step at a time.
Sep 26, 2009
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As fate would have it, I am from Toledo, Ohio and know the Savage family very well. I went to high school with Carolyn's nephew, and their family is very involved in the community. It was a very hard decision for the family to have in vitro fertilization, and only decided upon it as a last resort. Mr. and Mrs. Savage are devout Catholics and did everything they could to make sure the church was behind their decision. It is such a shame that this all had to happen to such a wonderful family, and my heart truly goes out to them.
ReplyDeletep.s. For the record. the Savages do have children.