Staff Editorial : Regulations for in vitro fertilization justified

The record for world's oldest new mother was broken last month when the Associated Press reported that a 67-year-old Spanish woman, Carmela Bousada, gave birth to twin boys. Having long passed menopause, the woman defied biology by paying for in vitro fertilization at the Pacific Fertility Center in Los Angeles. Consequently, she also defied the clinic's age limit of 55 for this treatment by lying about her age.

Aside from the obvious issue of lying to the clinic about her age, the question of whether or not a 67-year-old woman is fit to be a mother comes to mind. After all, by the time the children hit puberty, the woman will be nearing our nation's average life expectancy of 80.82 years.

Some would say this scenario falls under a woman's right to choose, and that since (barring extenuating circumstances) it is a woman's prerogative to choose when not to have a child, choosing when to have one should logically follow. The question remains, however, are individuals the best judges of whether they're fit to be parents, or should there be regulations set?

According to Seattle Reproductive Medicine, no laws exist to regulate who can or cannot receive treatment for in vitro fertilization [HTML_REMOVED] regulations are set by and vary between different clinics.

Aside from the physical and mental stress of pregnancy, bearing and raising a child is a taxing experience to say the least (not to belittle the many upsides of parenthood). There is a similar process that prospective parents can go through, though, that can shed some light on the situation.

Adoption agencies across the globe, perhaps especially in the U.S., have some of the strictest application and screening procedures one might imagine. The North American Council on Adoptable Children outlines a 14-step process, involving meetings, training and questions along the lines of "How do you plan to address discipline issues with your new child?"

While in vitro fertilization is markedly different than adoption, the underlying concept is the same [HTML_REMOVED] asking for help to become a parent when you aren't otherwise able to, or choose not to have your own. The agency or clinic in question, then, has a huge amount of responsibility for the eventual wellbeing of the child, whether it be an embryo in a freezer or a four-year-old in a foster home. Adoption agencies have every right to screen the people who ask them for help becoming parents, and clinics performing in vitro fertilization should have the same right.