Originally published at: Court permits 62-year-old woman to extract sperm from dead husband to make a baby - Boing Boing
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Potential morality and ethical concerns aside; I wonder about the actual viability/quality of a life that is created with diminished genetic material.
Somehow I doubt that ‘counselling’ will cover every possible negative outcome…
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I’m also thinking that raising a baby at the age of 62 is not a particularly good idea. I’m 64, and the thought of sleepless nights just makes me tired beyond belief.
On top of that, it’s just not fair to the baby, who will most likely become an orphan when they are young.
My parents had me when they were 40, and both were gone when I was a young adult. It’s not fun losing a parent before you even have your first “real” job.
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HEARD.
That thought also occurred to me as I hit the ‘submit’ button:
I just finished raising my only kid, and I am not yet even 50; I cannot begin to fathom ‘starting over’ at this age… let alone with another 12-14 years added.
I agree that it seems rather short sighted and highly unfair to the potential child, even if said child is born perfectly healthy…
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This brings up all kinds of issues. In addition to those already raised by @Melizmatic and @Malarkey , I wonder, if this woman is so intent on continuing the lineage, did she try to extract reproductive material from her adult children after they’d passed?
And separately, would she be legally allowed to adopt a newborn baby in Oz? Because if not, it seems like this is a class thing, where if you have the money you can do this thing but if you don’t have the money or the surrogate, you can’t. As in, if you wouldn’t be allowed to raise a baby that already exists and needs a home, why can you create a new one under morally murky circumstances and then raise it?
There are so many other ways to “live on,” I hope this woman finds one of them…
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My grandfather on my mother’s side was born in 1903. My mother was born in 1941. He and my grandmother were killed in a car accident in 1969 when I was a baby, but still…they were already well into their 60s. But even more interesting, my grandfather was the youngest of 12. His eldest sibling was born in 1880. And my great grandfather was born in 1855 (and I have to brag a little on his name…Franklin Fearless Scott). He was 48 when my grandfather was born.
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I try not to judge other people’s reproductive decisions but I wonder if there’s an inheritance situation or something like that prompting this woman to go through so much trouble to birth a genetic heir to her husband’s line.
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The kid wouldn’t even technically be related to her…?!?
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As a biotech nerd i always have encouraged young lawyer wannabees to take a course (or three) in bioethics. Because while i’ll not likely live to see it, there will be cases of “cloning without permission” “human procreation without a uterus” “germ line genetic engineering - the foreign country loophole” “chromosomes for sale” “genetic fusion between nearby species” etc Zager and Evans
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That seems like a very big leap. It seems if he had already expressed that desire, it would be an explicit factor in the decision.
Dead people can’t consent.
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I dunno, I think it’s likely my wife would have a better inkling of my wishes than a court would.
Though TBH in most cases I don’t really give a hoot about what dead people would have wanted because they are beyond caring, the law should be more concerned about the needs of the living. So “what would dead guy have wanted?” is less important to me than “are all the participants’ rights being duly respected here?” and “what kind of life will this child have?”
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There’s a story on my dad’s side of the family.
My great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland after the potato famine and came to work in the Anthracite coal mines in Pennsylvania sometime between 1870 and 1880. My grandfather was the youngest of seven and was born in 1888. My great-grandfather died in a mining accident in 1889 and my great grandmother found out when the Miner’s Benevolent Society knocked on her door and, when she answered, asked, “Are you the widow Malarkey?”
My dates may be incorrect - they are correct in my graduate thesis, but it’s been a while. But the story has been passed down.
My dad was born in 1919 and my mom in 1920. I was born in 1959. I miss them both, very much, even though they’ve both been gone over 30 years.
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My parents were born in 1939 and 1941, and given our respective states of health, it’s entirely possible that they will outlive me. My mom told me a few weeks ago that they may have to start thinking about selling the house and going into assisted living. Not that they’re going to do it anytime soon, but that they may have to start thinking about it. They have already outlived most of their friends. They help out people younger than they are by giving them rides to church and the like. I think someone forgot to tell them they were supposed to get old at some point.
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We were just remembering my wife’s dad who was born on January 6th 1914. He died a couples years before we married. Her mom died a couple years after we were married. I miss them both.
My wife’s sister was 23 years older. Most of her nieces and nephews are our age.
When I was dating her it was crazy easy to pull the wool over her parent’s eyes. We got away with everything.
My wife has been part of my family longer than she knew her parents.
They weren’t that old when they had her, it’s cray to think about someone having or wanting to have a child in their 60s.
Our daughter was 18 before we were 40 and we were exhausted by then.
The 18 and out plan didn’t work out too well, she lived at home until she was 32 and got married.
It got a lot easier once she reached her 20s though. As long as she was working and/or going to school she was welcome.
Tony Randall had his two kids when he was 78 and then skipped out when they were 6 and 7.
His wife was young but he had to know he was never going to see them grow up. Their choice but I can’t imagine starting a family at that age.
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My wife has an uncle in Florida, we visited him and his wife right as covid hit. While we there they went to work at the local hospital.
His wife was a volunteer at the gift shop and was the thier bookkeeper.
He escorted the older people from the parking lot in a golf cart and helped them with their wheelchairs.
Did I mention they’re both 90?
They’d get home and then take us out to eat, I’m really not sure where they get their energy.
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Absolutely.
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Possible name if there’s a baby: Garp.
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I am still wondering whether the would-be foster-mother had all of dead husband frozen for later extraction purposes, or just a few bits.
The things one can do with a blender.
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