Outrage, Anger, and Sadness

These are some of the comments placed by people at the bottom of this New York Times article about the Fertility Industry. I was absolutely outraged at some people's inability to think about things from the other side of the looking glass. It always baffles me how most people in the human race (most, not all) have the inability to think about anyone except for themselves, and to think how things they say and do may affect others. I read these comments and I was shaking I was so mad...It made me want to cry. It is sad how ill informed and ignorant some people are.

I'm sorry this IVF procedure was ever developed. It would be better if women who couldn't have babies to just learn to live without kids. Better options would be to adopt or, better still, to move on to running this country's businesses and governments. Feminists hate this, but kids really do hold you back.
— Barbara B., Dallas, TX

Every living child is indeed a blessing, and should be cared for and protected and nurtured into a healthy, loving adult. But is every prospective pregnancy, every planned(or unplanned) addition to the human population of this already stressed planet a blessing? I think not. And every compromised human life that needs extreme measures to bring it into being, let alone to live and contribute to society more than it consumes is an extra burden that perhaps we should avoid promulgating on our already overburdened blue-green home.There are so many children that need parents. And every time I turn around there's another self-righteous, pseudo-intellectual yupster couple giving excuses why they MUST have their "own" child. And it makes me want to barf. I can only understand this behavior (in light of the state of the population and the capacity of the planet to sustain it) as a manifestation of the most base instinct akin to the desire of any animal, say a cockroach, worm, squirrel or grackle, to continue its genetic line. Higher(however limited) thought goes into the excuse making, but little or no thought goes into the actual act.I think people should take infertility as a blessing from whatever higher power they believe in and a sign that there are other ways, such as adoption, that they can contribute to mankind. And those that are fertile need to look at the real costs of bringing another American consumer into the world.
— Rob, MN

It is time that human beings matured to the point where their lust for an infant of "their own" (as though humans can be owned!) takes back seat to what is best for the community and the planet.The notion of a "fertility industry" strikes me as half absurdity, half atrocity. Women are not factories. No matter how consumerized breeding is made by those who stand to make money from it.We have GOT to end policies that encourage people to add more humans to planet, and reward people for limiting their burdening of all humanity with higher numbers.
— Michael, Olympia, WA

I firmly believe all people should be subject to the same scrutiny potential adoptive parents go through. Potential adoptive parents go through on average a 3 month home study including evaluating finanicals. At the minimum fertility clinics should require the same but in all honesty all potential parents should have to obtain a license.
— bailout, new york NY

If parents cannot afford additional treatments of IVF, then they cannot afford to have children. Legal limits shoudl absolutely be placed on the number of embryos planted. This is not about what the mother or parents want - it's about the health of the future children.
— Jill, NYC

The taxpayers of CA should file a class action law suit against the doctor responsible for this litter.And as some people have neither ethics nor commonsense nor regard for the rest of humanity, regulations are apprently needed so this situation does not happen again. I suggest a) no more than one embryo implanted at a time and b) no embryo implantation to any woman who has already had 2 children.
— Michelle, Nevada

We had an internal discussion about whether to use the term "implant" or "transfer." We decided to use the word "implant" because, to the average reader who is not well-schooled in the terminology surrounding in-vitro fertilization, it is an accurate description of what happens. The average person does not really understand what "transfer" means in this context.
— Stephanie Saul, Reporter, The New York Times

What ever happened to Zero Population. It seems to me we can't take care of the children we have on this planet. So many children in this country are in foster homes. If you really want a child, please adopt.
— A.Sousa, San Francisco

All over the media lately, we are hearing about the problems preemies have for life and we make premature birth a necessity due to the nature of the pregnancy. It is sick, sick, sick.
— martin, SC

my understanding is that in the UK in vitro is covered for one child only. ie, if you already have a child, you cannot receive IVF for another one. this seems reasonable. while I know there are multiple barriers, it seems absolutely sick that children are unwanted and starving in many parts of the world, while test tube babies are created in the US. where is the humanity in people that they cannot be happy with a non biological child?
— spc, New York, NY

If nature has determined a person to be infertile , accept it as reality - no artificial means except for endangered animal species .
— Bruce, Australia

America is the, "Gimme Mine!" nation. How else to explain the fertility industry in a nation that has nearly 50 million without health insurance?
— kcbob, Kansas City, MO

Welcome to America, where you can buy anything for the right price---including countless chances to have countless babies. (Meanwhile, tough luck for all the kids in foster homes.)
-Renee, Boston

Why do you think China has the one-child-only law? Without it, it will have a population three times its size by now. You can criticize that country's human rights record and democracy all you want but sometimes, the only way to get people to do the reasonable thing is to force them.
— Tom, Seattle