Another older mom has given birth and caused a bit of controversy. The 56-year-old Australian, who conceived with the aid of IVF, is believed to be the oldest mother in Australia. The woman has three children aged mid-teens to mid-30s. Her husband is reported to be in his mid-30s also.
What was strange about this report is that the family was forced to move from their home to another suburb because of “negativity towards her pregnancy.” I am hoping that this negativity didn’t go beyond verbal taunts. I would hate to think that there exist people who are so narrow-minded that they would resort to physical violence over a woman’s choice to do what she wants with her own body. Then again, there are many crackpots out there.
The clinic where the woman received treatment is under investigation by the Fertility Society of Australia Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee. This group provides accreditation to fertility clinics in Australia. They are investigating whether the clinic violated the industry’s code of practice.
Mind you, there are no age limits contained within the code so why the inquiry? They are basing the inquiry on wording in the code which stipulates that there will be no fertility treatment “that may be harmful to the mother or baby.” I would think that any type of treatment could be potentially harmful to women of all ages and their potential offsprings.
Newsflash: Older women will continue to have babies.
Despite all the negativity and the should she’s? or shouldn’t she’s? Many women are choosing to delay motherhood. Others struggle to conceive on their own while young, eventually turning to IVF for help. Some, like the Australian mother, have adult children and decide they want another child, perhaps when they marry a younger man. I wonder if there will ever come a day when an older mother giving birth does not make the news? Or will Big Brother take things into his own hands and make it a crime to conceive past the age of 35?
See also:
London Doctor Says Stop Having Babies After 35
World’s Oldest Mom Gives Birth To Twins
More Unwed Older Women Having Babies