I think Australia has been a little bit worked up the last couple of days after sixty minutes aired a story on “selective reduction”. It was a little controversial. Admittingly, I was also a little emotional watching it.
Selective reduction is the process of aborting one or more foetuses in a multiple pregnancy. The procedure is generally carried out in the first trimester where potassium chloride is injected into the foetus’s heart. Within a few minutes, the heart stops beating.
Sixty minutes interviewed one mother who had triplets naturally and decided to under go the procedure to reduce her pregnancy to one foetus. Another mother who fell pregnant with triplets via IVF and also decided to undergo the procedure. And one mother who decided to keep all three of her babies.
But what is different about these stories is that the two women that decided to “reduce” the number of babies did so out of lifestyle choices. NOT out of medical reasons.
I am all for choices. I am all for individuals being able to have the options to make certain choices. But if someone decides to embark on the journey of parenthood, this is a lifestyle choice! This is a choice that comes with responsibilities. This is what I can not get my head around.
But maybe with this certain choice there is an act of responsibility.
I had to under go IVF with both my pregnancies. Getting pregnant naturally was not a choice. Was not an option. I am very fortunate that I live in a society that has such a choice available to me. It is a tough and grilling process. But I am so blessed to have two beautiful babies as a result of my two pregnancies.
But if I choose to inject two embryos and one split, resulting in three foetuses… well this is a result of the choice I originally made. A mother must go into that process knowing that that may happen. How can one not?
These women interviewed had their own reasons. Every person who ever makes a certain decision has their own reasons. Maybe some would call it selfish. Maybe some would call it honesty and actually taking responsibility for what they know they can and can not cope with, emotionally and financially. Sometimes taking responsibility is making hard decisions, life and death situations.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw the footage of the needle being injected. Getting pregnant was such a blessing to me. Although there is huge debate of when life starts and begins, the thought of terminating would not be an option.
But my decision, my beliefs, my ways are not always that of others. And everyone else may or may not think differently. This is the beauty about us all as individuals, that we do have individual thoughts, beliefs, dreams and capabilities.
I certainly would not want to make such an impossible choice.
Did you watch this program?
What are your thoughts?
This story got me thinking. So I want to share it with you too, with Diary of SAHM
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