Hence, upon further reflection (this is sort of thing my brain wanders into while I'm surveying.), I feel compelled to clarify my position.
I stand by what I said; infertility treatments are indeed a shocking waste of money, time, and effort. However, this does not mean I would support any sort of attempt to limit the ability of adults to do it. This is an important distinction. Although I disagree--vehemently--with your choices, and feel they ride the edge of societal ethics, I will fight to the death for your freedom to make them.
I would also like to clarify my exact position, and why this bothers me so much. (yes, it does bother me, a lot, in case you hadn't noticed.)
Infertility treatments illuminate contradictions now present in our culture in two ways.
- Firstly, when juxtaposed with society's pernicious belief that humans are not subject to evolutionary forces in the manner that other species are, as illustrated by those who feel that the solution to food shortages as a result of population growth is to produce more food*, the widespread yet unacknowledged acceptance of an unconscious, evolutionary-based drive to perpetuate one's genetic material reveals a dearth of logic, to say the least.
- Secondly, it strikes me as odd that some proponents of infertility treatments blather on about how children are a blessing, children are wonderful, children are Jesus reincarnate and will make all of your problems go away, and yet, because they are also the same people who refuse to raise someone else's children ("We thought about adoption, but we just really wanted our own kids"), they do not give a hoot for the children who already exist in the world--the children who need to be adopted.
* Populations will always, always, always increase in numbers to match available food resources; the opposite is also true. This has been demonstrated many times with many species, and yet no one seems to believe it. Populations began exploding once we obtained a food surplus--i.e., formed civilizations.
Amen, Sistah! I find the statement, "I really would rather have my own children [despite the procreation failures of my body]," is, frankly, selfish.-Lauren
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