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Oct. 23rd, 2010 09:45 pm
Writer's Block: Family planning
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Had to answer this one because it's sitting there, pissing me off.
1. IVF (out-of-body conception) is not the only type of infertility treatment. There are dozens of different treatments designed only to correct a simple problem, much like treating any other illness. It can be expensive for some, but many insurers cover at least some sorts of infertility treatment, making it often the least expensive option for having a child when the organic way doesn't work.
2. Surrogacy is illegal in some states, and ridiculously expensive anyway, because one usually has to cover medical costs of the gestational parent, not to mention the treatment to get her pregnant in the first place (which, by the way, is IVF.)
3. Adoption is nowhere near as easy or cheap as people would like you to think.
Yes, there are foster-to-adopt programs through the state that are relatively inexpensive, but as the children there are virtually all special-needs in one way or another, they're really not the best bet for rookie parents. Someone facing secondary infertility, who already has kids and knows what they're doing? Sure. But anyone without a ton of prior parenting experience isn't going to be able to handle most of the kids who go into state care, because they're there for one traumatic reason or another, and that requires experience to manage.
It's actually a disservice to the child for an inexperienced parent to take on that kind of project, thinking they're doing something altruistic and making the best moral choice out of the options available.
Don't mind me. I'm just tired of the "ohh, there are tons of kids just waiting for a loving home!" bullshit. Adopting children is not like adopting a pet. You don't just go down to the shelter, pick one from the dozens of cute little sprites there, pay a small fee and take it home. You spend thousands on lawyers and agencies and then spend several months in the worst sort of job interviews you can imagine, hoping someone's going to deem you worthy to raise their child. There's no such thing as going down to the baby store and picking one up on sale.
Because of this, infertility treatment is often the easiest and cheapest way to become a parent when you can't do it yourself, and even then, parenthood is often out of reach for people who don't have excellent insurance benefits and a ton of cash sitting around.
Or, in other words: The next person who gets in my face about how selfish infertile people are for not choosing adoption right away is going to get a big Texty Smash.
Had to answer this one because it's sitting there, pissing me off.
1. IVF (out-of-body conception) is not the only type of infertility treatment. There are dozens of different treatments designed only to correct a simple problem, much like treating any other illness. It can be expensive for some, but many insurers cover at least some sorts of infertility treatment, making it often the least expensive option for having a child when the organic way doesn't work.
2. Surrogacy is illegal in some states, and ridiculously expensive anyway, because one usually has to cover medical costs of the gestational parent, not to mention the treatment to get her pregnant in the first place (which, by the way, is IVF.)
3. Adoption is nowhere near as easy or cheap as people would like you to think.
Yes, there are foster-to-adopt programs through the state that are relatively inexpensive, but as the children there are virtually all special-needs in one way or another, they're really not the best bet for rookie parents. Someone facing secondary infertility, who already has kids and knows what they're doing? Sure. But anyone without a ton of prior parenting experience isn't going to be able to handle most of the kids who go into state care, because they're there for one traumatic reason or another, and that requires experience to manage.
It's actually a disservice to the child for an inexperienced parent to take on that kind of project, thinking they're doing something altruistic and making the best moral choice out of the options available.
Don't mind me. I'm just tired of the "ohh, there are tons of kids just waiting for a loving home!" bullshit. Adopting children is not like adopting a pet. You don't just go down to the shelter, pick one from the dozens of cute little sprites there, pay a small fee and take it home. You spend thousands on lawyers and agencies and then spend several months in the worst sort of job interviews you can imagine, hoping someone's going to deem you worthy to raise their child. There's no such thing as going down to the baby store and picking one up on sale.
Because of this, infertility treatment is often the easiest and cheapest way to become a parent when you can't do it yourself, and even then, parenthood is often out of reach for people who don't have excellent insurance benefits and a ton of cash sitting around.
Or, in other words: The next person who gets in my face about how selfish infertile people are for not choosing adoption right away is going to get a big Texty Smash.
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