Some ‘advances’ really aren’t
Published 4:05 pm Wednesday, July 8, 2009
With the multitude of health problems facing humans today, it’s good to know some researchers are focusing on the important topics:
“Doctors say more ovary transplants possible.” This is excellent news for women with cancer because chemotherapy often causes infertility.
In the past, only a handful of such transplants were successful. Now, advances could make the procedure more widely available, according to the Associated Press.
But the news isn’t about helping cancer survivors. The real news, which AP leads with, is: “Two new techniques to preserve and transplant ovaries might give women a better chance to fight their biological clocks and have children when they are older.”
Ah, have your youthful ovaries taken out and put back in when you are ready to have children. Because who is nature to dictate when women should have babies?
At least “fighting their biological clocks” is honest. In the same article, the scientific side puts it like this:
“We are in the middle of an infertility epidemic,” said Dr. Sherman Silber, director of the St. Louis Infertility Center in Missouri, one of the experts behind the research. “With these new techniques, we could dramatically expand our reproductive lifespan.”
Very dramatic. We are not, however, in the middle of an infertility epidemic. In fact, that’s one calamity the human race has not experienced. What we are experiencing is an epidemic of people who confuse convenience and entitlement with important medical interventions. Taking out a woman’s ovaries at 25, because she wants to be a first-time mom at 50, is wrong. It’s not the same as getting breast implants or a nose job. It’s seriously taking a chance with a woman’s fertility (not to mention surgical complications) while promising her ever-lasting fertility. It’s insane.
Meanwhile, another report tells us: “British scientists claim to create human sperm.” Because, you know, there might be a shortage some day.
The scientists say they created sper m from embryonic stem cells to someday help infertile men father children. Male infertility is quite common. In recent years, however, there have been tremendous advances in the field of male reproductive medicine, the Los Angeles Times reported. With current technology, even men who produce just a single sperm can cause a pregnancy.
“We can dramatically increase the likelihood of couples conceiving at home or with the least amount of technology possible,” said Dr. Thomas Walsh, director of the men’s reproductive health program at UC San Francisco School of Medicine.
The least amount of technology possible sounds good. But it’s not as dramatic to research, or report, as “Scientists claim to create human sperm.”
