59-year old Frenchwoman delivers triplets
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An unnamed 59 year old Frenchwoman, of Vietnamese origin, gave birth to triplets on Saturday night. After seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Vietnam, the woman delivered two boys and a girl by cesarean at a Paris hospital. According to a spokesman, ?everything went smoothly.? The babies are healthy, weighing between 4 lbs 9 oz and 5 lbs 5 oz. No further details have been released yet.
There is obvious controversy surrounding this announcement. In France, the maximum age set by most clinics for a woman to participate in IVF is 42. In Vietnam it is 45. According to French media, it is illegal to provide fertility treatment to a woman past natural childbearing age. And according to at least one spokesman for the Catholic church, it is wrong. Archbishop Andre Vingt-Trois said, ?On this particular point, scientific progress is not good for mankind.? But she is not the first, nor the oldest, Frenchwoman to have accomplished this.
A baby was born in 2001 to a 62-year-old. And a 70 year old Indian woman gave birth to twins after receiving IVF treatment.
I?m still on the fence about this. But I?m leaning toward thinking if a woman wants a child this badly, I believe she?ll probably do her best to be a good mother. The life expectancy for a Frenchwoman, according to the CIA World Factbook, is 84. So it?s not like she won?t be able to see the children grow up. And I have had several close friends and a family member go through the pain of infertility, so I understand why couples pursue IVF, though I don?t think I?d do it myself. I’m not sure why a country would even have laws about how young you have to be to get pregnant. I also don’t agree with the Archbishop who thinks it’s bad for mankind.
For my part, I just don?t know why anyone would want to have a baby at that age. I?m feeling too old sometimes for my 5-month old?and I?m ?only? 35. My OB told me there was still plenty of time to have babies, but I think he must be working on job security. Because, as long as I have a say about it, I?m done.
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