Hi All
A few weeks ago the comment was made that possibly a reason for a lack of policy dealing with infertility issues is due to a lack of need. It has taken me some time to be able to respond to this because this is an issue that touches me very deeply. After five years of trying to conceive and two miscarriages my husband and I are officially dealing with infertility. Infertility is described as a womens inability to concieve over 12 consecutive months. According to the CDC and the Fertility, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health of US Women report (2002) there are 7.3 million women in the US between the ages of 15 and 44 that have an impaired ability to have children (around 11.8% of all women aged 15 to 44 in the US) and 2.1 million women who are unable to get pregnant.
This has significant implication for the women and couples who are facing infertility and desire to have children. The medical treatment of infertility (in all its numerous forms) is expensive and often not covered by health insurance. The use of various hormones that are prescribed to help treat infertility is not monitored or regulated tightly and often hormones are prescribed with little research into their long term effects or their actual helpfulness. My own doctor, who is wonderful, described it as "voodoo" as she was writing out a perscription for me. Ulitmatly infertility treatments may or may not work to assist a family in conceiving biological children and they often drive many couples into debt.
Another alternative is adoption. Though there are numerous policies and laws about adoption it is still a somehwat unregulated affair. Here in Utah the cost to work with an adoption agency to adopt an infant is around $20,000 to $25,000 dollars. International adoptions can cost from $20,000 to $40,000 dollars. There is little indication of what this money actually goes to and is probably one of the reasons the adoption business is booming. An alternative is to work with the state to adopt a child/children in the child protective service system. Well less expensive this system is set up to support the biological parent in reunification (and rightly should) but does little to account for the needs of prospective adoptive parents. For example, in Utah every biological parent is given an 8 month window to work towards reunification (which is hardly enough time for them but is an eternity for a child and its potential adoptive parents).
What is the point of all of this? I guess it is this . . . infertility is an issue in this country and it is growing for a variety of reasons including environmental hazards and delaying child bearing. However, we rarely talk about it and any policies that do exisit only touch on it in a round about way. But one has to ask the question . . . Is the ability to have children a human right? Should every qualified and suitable adult be allowed to parent? Or is it a privelage for the wealthy? Right now it costs a small fortune if you are infertile and want a child and there is little government support (though there is a tax credit for adoption) or protection. If we don't start having conversations about infertility and what it means for families in this country then we will never find a way to help solve the problem.
Thanks for sharing this Maegan. I've had several friends go through this. It really is a bigger issue than most people realize. I think part of it is that it is a hard and sensitive subject to discuss for those that are right in the middle of it.
ReplyDeleteI think another thing is that it's a long process. Couples try for years, before they reach the decision that it's no longer going to happen. These years can be really trying on a marriage. I watched my sister go through it for years, before they were able to save up enough money to even start really seeing specialists.
I've had other friends go through the adoption process. I've been amazed at how long and just how expensive it is. Then the time of waiting to make sure they don't change their mind. It's nice that technology is starting to help with this. Many couples are spreading the word through Facebook and blogs that they are looking to adopt. I think this will hopefully also start helping people realize how big of an issue there is. Hopefully by getting the word out, more discussions can get started and things can start to happen so that solutions can be found. Good luck with it all!
Thanks for sharing your story Meagan. I too, have seen how infertility is a type of challenge that many individuals face in silent suffering. I have been strapped with the idea that a very qualified couple is unable to conceive yet while there are teen's, not ready for parenting who get pregnant on accident their first time.
ReplyDeleteLike Lauralee, I think talking about this issue is perhaps the best way of getting the word out there that this is an issue (cost of adaption and infertility treatment)that needs to be discussed. Also, providing services like having an agency that provides education, different options, even grants, would be great for couples and individuals facing these challenges.
Thanks for sharing, I have two sisters that have tried to adopt, one through a service when they were living in Washington state and the other is currently working with child protective services. Both have had a horrible time. Sherry and her husband spend $15,000 and still ended up not adopting a child. Brittany, has been working with the State for almost two years and have not been able to adopt any of the children have taken care of. It is definitely a tough situation.
ReplyDeleteI think that making sure people are aware of the issue of infertility is a good step. Unfortunately, I think it will take a lot more than that to make any kind of headway. Especially when considering issue such as single parenthood and abortion, which many people view as having a greater monetary cost to the government.
Probably one of the most effective ways to not only draw attention to infertility and potentially lead to some action would be to conduct studies that show investing in infertility treatment would be profitable. I you could attract prescription drug companies you could even get some FDA involvement.
Just an idea...
Good thread. I would imagine that IVF is very profitable, as is surrogacy [for the surrogate mother].
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