Politalking

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Fertility Society are in the process of finalising a joint statement warning women in their 20s and 30s to carefully consider freezing eggs to suit lifestyles and career aspirations, according to a report in The Observer.

The article consults Professor Bill Ledger, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Sheffield University and a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, who says that it is perfectly fair for women with cancer about to undergo chemotherapy to freeze their eggs to avoid seriously damaging their child bearing abilities, but said it was morally and ethically questionable for women to choose to freeze their eggs for the purpose of allowing a certain lifestyle.

Any and all medical subjects, particularly those which specifically work to retrace the steps of nature, are always going to have, if not be entirely grey areas. This one seems indicative of much of the want from the medical profession to continue progression in their fields whilst attempting to maintain a full sense of ethical and moral control. I don’t disagree that the morals of women deciding to freeze their own eggs, abusing the service in this way does denigrate what its original intention very likely was. But is this really any different from women who get abortions when their lifestyle doesn’t suit a baby. That may seems callous but that doesn’t just include those women who do this due to career, that encompasses those too young to look after a baby or those aborted the result of a rape. If anything, this represents both a parallel and turn from those aborting due to lifestyle needs. Women freezing eggs for this reason are inherently putting forward their desire to have children, admitting that they cannot currently provide the kind of love and attention they need without having to sacrifice much when the entire process could be delayed and performed better later in life. If anything, that seems a very responsible act rather than anything callous or lacking in moral fibre.

I understand the need for the medical profession to express the need for their progressions to be used ‘responsibly’ but this seems more a PR effort laying out outdated if noble ideas which fail to resonate in the modern world.