The people pulled into the baby-making whirlpool aren't always the sad-but-loving couples we like to imagine.
Sometimes, not everyone is on board with the big decisions inherent in fertility treatment. Sometimes, like in the case of Jackie Barr in Glasgow, individuals are simply along for the ride, against their will.
In this article from the Daily Record, Ms. Barr is interviewed about a tremendous longing that resonates with many an infertile woman. Eventually, the mother of two moved forward with her decision to donate eggs, in spite of her husband's clear objections.
The interview describes Stephen's response to Jackie's desire as moving from "complete shock" to his "finally agreeing" to talk more about the process at an IVF clinic. He wasn't Jackie's only loved one with reservations, which arose partly due to the lack of anonymity for UK egg donors.
In the end, Jackie's husband still "begged" her to not donate her eggs, a journey that involved hospitalization for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and two young children who were confused about why they didn't get a baby sibling out of the deal. That, and 19 eggs retrieved for use by other women for making babies.
Did we ever resolve similar questions springing from other medical advances that allow women to be sole arbiters of their reproductive destiny? Is this more a matter of us not fully understanding the concept of marriage? Is it the result of the idea that honesty is relative and the individual's desires are the ultimate authority?
I'd like to hear from the Daily Record in a few years about how Jackie and Stephen and their two children are faring.
Sometimes, not everyone is on board with the big decisions inherent in fertility treatment. Sometimes, like in the case of Jackie Barr in Glasgow, individuals are simply along for the ride, against their will.
In this article from the Daily Record, Ms. Barr is interviewed about a tremendous longing that resonates with many an infertile woman. Eventually, the mother of two moved forward with her decision to donate eggs, in spite of her husband's clear objections.
The interview describes Stephen's response to Jackie's desire as moving from "complete shock" to his "finally agreeing" to talk more about the process at an IVF clinic. He wasn't Jackie's only loved one with reservations, which arose partly due to the lack of anonymity for UK egg donors.
In the end, Jackie's husband still "begged" her to not donate her eggs, a journey that involved hospitalization for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and two young children who were confused about why they didn't get a baby sibling out of the deal. That, and 19 eggs retrieved for use by other women for making babies.
Did we ever resolve similar questions springing from other medical advances that allow women to be sole arbiters of their reproductive destiny? Is this more a matter of us not fully understanding the concept of marriage? Is it the result of the idea that honesty is relative and the individual's desires are the ultimate authority?
I'd like to hear from the Daily Record in a few years about how Jackie and Stephen and their two children are faring.
I don't like donating my eggs. It some kind of insult to my husband. But if we can't have baby because he have problems I would rather adopt a child than donating my eggs.
Posted by: Hiring Girl | September 15, 2009 at 11:50 PM