Fertility Drugs and Abortion

I am pro-choice and anyone who is pro-life and yet also is pro infertility treatments is a hypocrite. I am a hypocrite for the other reason, I am pro-choice but I am against infertility treatments.

I never realized there are more ethical dilemmas with fertility drugs than with abortion. Fertility treatments create so much more potential for long-term concerns and issues. Let's just list a few...

1. Many times the use of fertility drugs may lead to the "selective reduction" of embryos (abortion if you are pro-choice). There are no regulations regarding the number of viable embryos or possible embryos that are implanted, increasing the likelihood of multiple pregnancies (increasing the chance of selective reduction). However, there are state laws in many states indicating when or under what circumstances an abortion may take place.

3. Fertility drugs can lead to multiple births in the 10s and 20s (which usually requires "selective reduction") and people were not mean to have litters of babies. Think about our anatomy. A woman has two breasts, that indicates a max of two babies to feed... okay there is an occasional third nipple, but is it ever functional? If so, maybe that is why natural triplets are as rare as the third nipple.

4. Selective reduction involves more people that may not agree with abortion... doctors, nurses, parents who must because mom will die trying to carry 20 babies, instead many early term abortions are one doctor with a prescription pad and the parents.

5. The generational effect. Neo-natal procedures started about 20 years ago saving many babies that would have died. Now those babies are grown and want their own children. Their bodies refuse to have children, and instead they force them to using infertility treatments. Thus, they are bringing into the world individuals who may potentially have even more risk factors or medical complications than they did, who may not survive, or have no quality of life.

6. Fertility treatment and genetics. Now people are selectively choosing to keep or not keep an infant based on some genetic marker found and then use fertility methods to increase the chances of a male or female... what is next... specific hair or eye color? Again, fertility treatments and "selective reduction" = abortion.

7. Donor eggs and sperm. With older women or any woman using donor parts to conceive children, it is scary to think of the long-term ramifications. How many half-brothers and half-sisters or full brothers and sisters have the potential to unknowingly hook-up and get married. Psychology has shown that birds of a feather flock together, so we are attracted to people more like ourselves. Twin studies have revealed that even growing up in different families, twins are more alike in personality and activities, thus attributing some portion of personality to genes. Therefore, brothers and sisters who don't even know they are brothers and sisters are at an increased risk to end up together. What is that going to do to the gene pool? There are many documented negative effects of incestuous births, we are just adding to the problem since so much of fertility treatment is hush hush with little if any disclosure.

Just think about it. So if you are for infertility treatments and against abortion... or even if you are for both or against both... maybe we should stop working so hard to play God, because we are just adding to our own demise.