| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 44.1 | | 45080::CWINPENNY | | Wed May 28 1997 13:22 | 11 |
|
I'm all for surrogacy and fertility treatment with the exception of
public funding of such treatment for homosexuals and lesbians. Now
before people get on their high horses and start throwing about
unfounded accusations ask yourselves what does fertility treatment
mean, helping people to have children who have difficulty conceiving.
This is not the case for homosexuals or lesbians who make a choice to
put themselves in a situation where they can't conceive so they can
either adopt, foster, pay. or come to some other personal arrangements.
Chris
|
| 44.2 | | IJSAPL::ANDERSON | Now noting in colour!" | Wed May 28 1997 13:58 | 3 |
| Harry's daughter might just change your mind, should you ever meet her.
Jamie.
|
| 44.3 | | 45080::CWINPENNY | | Wed May 28 1997 14:27 | 8 |
|
If you're willing what were the circumstances, private arrangement or
use of public resources? I only disapprove of the use of public funding
for something which could be done 'naturally' but the persons involved
choose not, I would equally disapprove of a healthy hetrosexual couple
using the funds.
Chris
|
| 44.4 | | IJSAPL::ANDERSON | Now noting in colour!" | Wed May 28 1997 15:39 | 29 |
| OK. Harry was for years a sperm donor, as was I. A lesbian couple had
wanted a child and had got one the "natural" way. As the child grew she
became aware that all other kids had a mother and a father, whilst she
had two mothers.
Having lost my own father as an infant I roughly know what she was
going through.
In any event the couple wanted another child and decided not to make
the same mistake again and requested Harry's permission to use his
sperm.
Harry agreed but at the time the sperm bank that he was donating to was
in a Catholic hospital. They would only supply sperm to married couples
where the husband is infertile. (Yes I know JPII would have a hissy fit
if he found out they were doing even that.)
So the woman who runs the sperm bank did a swap with another sperm bank
in a more lenient hospital where the obs and gyn consultant, herself a
lesbian, was prepared to do the job.
On what was to be the final attempt the conception was successful and
the result is one of the brightest little 5 year-old girls that I have
ever come across.
The medical bills, like those of anyone else, were covered by her
medical insurance.
Jamie.
|
| 44.5 | | 45080::CWINPENNY | | Wed May 28 1997 15:50 | 7 |
|
I'd question the ethics of an insurance company which pays for medical
treatment that is not necessary. Would the same insurance company pay
for a fertile married women to go through the same treatment with sperm
donated by her husband?
Chris
|
| 44.6 | | IJSAPL::ANDERSON | Now noting in colour!" | Thu May 29 1997 07:21 | 1 |
| Yes.
|
| 44.7 | | 45080::CWINPENNY | | Thu May 29 1997 11:24 | 4 |
|
What a waste of insurance premiums.
Chris
|
| 44.8 | | IJSAPL::ANDERSON | Now noting in colour!" | Thu May 29 1997 12:41 | 5 |
| Well they paid the premiums so they are entitled to the treatment. You
cannot refuse to treat them just on the grounds that they are a married
heterosexual couple.
Jamie.
|
| 44.9 | | 45080::CWINPENNY | | Thu May 29 1997 14:29 | 4 |
|
How about on the grounds that the treatment is not necessary?
Chris
|
| 44.10 | | IJSAPL::ANDERSON | Now noting in colour!" | Thu May 29 1997 15:13 | 8 |
| How about when the treatment is necessary for said couple to have
children?
Borderline low sperm count can be helped sometimes to conceive a child
by artificial insemination. Impotent men can also become fathers this
way.
Jamie.
|
| 44.11 | | 45080::CWINPENNY | | Thu May 29 1997 15:27 | 11 |
|
My question was intended to be.
Would the same insurance company pay for a fertile married woman to go
through the same treatment with sperm donated by her fertile/
non-impotent husband?
In other words a couple who could conceive naturally but just chose not
to.
Chris
|
| 44.12 | | IJSAPL::ANDERSON | Now noting in colour!" | Thu May 29 1997 15:42 | 12 |
| The job of a fertility clinic is to help people who wish to have babies
to have them. The reason that they cannot have babies is not really
that important. Some have physical reasons, others psychological
reasons, the medical profession does not discriminate. These people
have paid medical insurance all of their lives and are entitled to
treatment.
However to tell the truth you do not really need a fertility clinic to
do artificial insemination. It is possible for almost anyone to
perform the task.
Jamie.
|
| 44.13 | | 45080::CWINPENNY | | Thu May 29 1997 16:00 | 12 |
|
I still think it's a waste of premiums to give fertility treatment to
people who can but simply don't want to.
> However to tell the truth you do not really need a fertility clinic to
> do artificial insemination. It is possible for almost anyone to
> perform the task.
Having a stake in a dairy farm I realise that which has just made me
think that there might be a market for do it yourself kits.
Chris
|
| 44.14 | | IJSAPL::ANDERSON | Now noting in colour!" | Fri May 30 1997 07:13 | 19 |
| Chris, have I got it right?
If you are a heterosexual male who has paid his medical insurance all
his life and has psychological impotence you should be entitled to
receive treatment from a fertility clinic.
However if you are a homosexual male who has paid his medical insurance
all his life and has psychological impotence you should not be entitled
to receive treatment from a fertility clinic.
Well the medical profession does not discriminate against homosexuals.
>Having a stake in a dairy farm I realise that which has just made me
>think that there might be a market for do it yourself kits.
Well in the case of humans the kit consists of a turkey baster. However
for cows you might require something more butch.
Jamie.
|