IVF : In Vitro Fertilization

RESPONSE TO —

 http://hellerbrittani.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/test-tube-babies-suffer-in-the-aftermath/

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After reading the article, I felt obliged to do some further research due to the fact that I’ve personally been affected by this. My cousin Michael, nine years of age, was a test tube baby. Through the process of my research I discovered that test tube babies are also called In Vitro babies and it means “in glass”. A sperm and egg are taken from two separate donors or from the mother and father.  Now, there is a protective shell that is on and around the surface of the egg cell. When the shell is removed, the sperm cell is allowed to fertilize the egg. After fertilization happens, the zygote, a cell formed by the combination of two gametes, is allowed to grow for a while in a kind of solution. This whole concoction is placed in a test tube, therefore getting the name of “test tube baby”. After the zygote has reached a certain stage, it is implanted into the mother. It is said that this is the most risky part of the process because the cells have to bond to the uterus wall. After they have bonded, the process is officially complete. From there are the normal stages, in which the mother has to carry the baby for nine months.

No doubt, infertility between couples may cause tension, this is why people are so desperate as to go through this process; but with such a process that is said to be one of the best and fastest, there are bound to be problems. As I read in the article, Louise Joy Brown was the world’s first successful test-tube baby but later discoveries were made on her behalf. “… Altered chromosomes created heritable changes in the ability of nearby genes associated with obesity, type-2 diabetes and rare genetic disorders to regulate themselves. The big scary point here is that environmental stress in the womb is creating genetic changes that can be passed on to future generations” (Dyer, 2010). Did you know that babies conceived in the normal way have a two and a half  percent chance of having birth defects, but for those who are the produced through of In Vitro Fertilization has a three and a half percent The warnings to most people will make no difference. Most people come to In Vitro Fertilization in desperation like I mentioned earlier. After that, next come tests, scans and possibly surgery which are all very distressing, contributing to the worsening of IVF for future generations.

Reply : Cost Of Freedom

If you were attached to your sibling for life would you take the risk of possibly losing your life for the chance of having your own? Why or why not?

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The Cost of Freedom

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To me this is not a easy question to answer , for one it is really hard to imagine. Ultimately I guess I would like to become separated as I’m a person. Sometimes I would like and need to be alone, but on the other hand I’m sure my character would be completely different if I would be a conjoined twin so maybe it would not disturb me that I can’t be alone … Then again I think moral issues would be involved . I hate the word abortion yet alone , killing a full grown human being , risking my life simultaneously , so I could live . There’s a certain perspective that you can look at the situation and look at it as impossible or as something that doesn’t make sense.
I’d also have to think about the future . What about dating , marriage … sex ? It’s all things I’d have to consider… I can never be fully sure unless doing the surgery is the medical safe thing to do. If we are conjoined and nothing is wrong , why not just let it be . I mean , look at how Britty & Abby are handling it . What’s the point of getting the surgery if it will leave my twin and I disabled ? Its not something I can answer in a heartbeat , its a decision that needs time and A LOT of facts , statistics , and proof .

In Abby & Britty’s Shoes …

In my Biology class, we’ve just been watching documentaries and l just learned more about the identical twins Abby and Brittany just about a week ago. They can do so much more than I can. Lets face it … We have all always wanted a twin, identical or fraternal, it didn’t matter but being conjoined is a diffrent story. I Wish I could ask them a lot of questions. Would they ever google their name and find this page ?  I had wondered about if one died, if both would die also or if the one died she would be surgically removed and buried. I know this is a morbid question but its just thoughts. I would be honored to even get to meet them. I think they are amazing. I believe they  turning 20 in March of this year and i think its wonderful how they do things. If you think about it they are totally two different people. Identical twins are created when the egg separates into two babies and in Abby and Brittany’s case it didn’t separate all the way… I think it is natural to have many questions about conjoined people , like that of Abby & Britty. But, to ask very personal questions of anyone, I think is invasive and offensive to the human psyche. The only way any of us will ever have answers to some of these totally insensitive questions. Think about it would we be willing to answer questions … personal questions if we where in their shoes ?