Miracle birth or Breach in Medical Ethics?
Some say it is a miracle others say it is a breach of ethics in the medical field; an act that was highly irresponsible instead of an act that is an advancement in medical technology. However one may feel, last month on September 5th, 74 year old Indian woman gave birth to twin girls. Mangayamma Yaramati made history by becoming the oldest woman known to become a mother.
The process for how this woman could make this possible was an in depth task. She had a team of medical professionals behind her, and leading this team was Sankkayala Uma Shankar. Yaramati had to undergo virto fertilization to make this happen. Because Yaramati had already underwent menopause, she no longer had any eggs available. The father, 82 year old Sitarama Rajarao, gave his sperm and a donor provided the egg. The fertilized embryo was then placed in Yaramati, and she carried the fetus all terms. The babies were delivered through C-section at the nursing home where the older couple lives. The mother faced no serious medical predicaments through the ordeal, but she did suffer from some respiratory issues that the doctor said were handled efficiently and caused no long term issues.
Despite the unorthodox situation, the couple are ecstatic with the birth of their babies. The couple opened about the hardship and ordeal they faced for many years trying to have children. They said to have faced much ridicule from members in their village for being childless for so long. The couple has been married since 1962, and for nearly 6 decades has been trying to have children. This was their last attempt, and the couple is thrilled that they finally get to experience the joys of parenthood.
However, other medical professionals do not feel the same way as the happy couple. “The doctor should be shamed and the government has to step in and punish the doctor in question,” said Dr Kamini A. Rao, medical director and founder of Milan. “From lactation issues to raising a child at that age is definitely going to be problematic. It is not just enough that a woman is walking and talking. There are many things to consider before administering IVF. She is not a baby producing machine." (source).
This situation begins to morph from a morally ethical situation and bleed into a legal issue. Many people are coming forward and bring the law on their side to back up their claims that this situation is wrong. The Artificial Reproductive Technology bill of 2017 states that "IVF, per the Artificial Reproductive Technology Bill, 2017, should be available to women aged between eighteen and 45" (source). They go on to explain that this is not a "random" cap number. It was designed to ensure that there would be a lower risk that the children would lose their parents and become orphans. There is also a law that the couple looking to adopt children in India cannot have the combine age over 100 for the same reason. (source). This couple with the combined age of 156 now has two infant girls in their care.
Dr. Shankur counters these claim about the health of the mother saying that she passed by a medical board deemed healthy enough to go through with the pregnancy. However when asked about the ethics of the situation, he avoids those questions by saying that is an "emotional question." Dr. Shankur saw Yaramati as just another case.
Medical professionals argue this viewpoint by saying it is more than a case, and it is a breach of ethics. It is more than just about if the mother can got through with the procedure; it is also about the overall health and well being for the children. This situation that has been brought up with an elderly couple raising twins raises many concerns about the health and future for these twin girls.
The process for how this woman could make this possible was an in depth task. She had a team of medical professionals behind her, and leading this team was Sankkayala Uma Shankar. Yaramati had to undergo virto fertilization to make this happen. Because Yaramati had already underwent menopause, she no longer had any eggs available. The father, 82 year old Sitarama Rajarao, gave his sperm and a donor provided the egg. The fertilized embryo was then placed in Yaramati, and she carried the fetus all terms. The babies were delivered through C-section at the nursing home where the older couple lives. The mother faced no serious medical predicaments through the ordeal, but she did suffer from some respiratory issues that the doctor said were handled efficiently and caused no long term issues. Despite the unorthodox situation, the couple are ecstatic with the birth of their babies. The couple opened about the hardship and ordeal they faced for many years trying to have children. They said to have faced much ridicule from members in their village for being childless for so long. The couple has been married since 1962, and for nearly 6 decades has been trying to have children. This was their last attempt, and the couple is thrilled that they finally get to experience the joys of parenthood.
“I cannot express my feeling in words,” added Mangayamma. “These babies complete me. My six decade-long wait has finally come to an end. Now, no one can call me infertile any more.” (Source)
While the elderly couple is feeling boundless joy, many medical professionals in the medical field are shocked by the news. They are outraged and claim how this situation is unethical for several reasons. The Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction (ISAR) was quoted commenting about the event, "we are deeply appalled to know about such unprofessional conduct of some health providers in misusing current Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) procedures. It is deplorable omission of ethics, morality and misuse of ART." (source).
Several underlying complications about the situation were not reported when reporters were covering the happy couple and their latest birth. For starters, many experts, are saying just because the elderly couple is able to have babies does not mean they should. Their age is going to limit their capabilities to handle the stress of parenting, and they are at the end of their lives. Many fear that the babies will be orphaned in a few years. They also feel that the couple has been selfish to have a few years of happy parenthood only to leave the children as orphans eventually.
Despite the healthy birth, that does not mean the parents are in prime health conditions. The father suffered from a stroke. Though the mother did not contribute her egg in this event, the father did contribute his sperm. This may have also been a poor decision on the parents and doctors involved. Gynaecologist Dr Manjula Annagani explained the risks of using the father's sperm, "But the sperm is her husband’s, who also has an aged sperm, which is most likely to contain DNA abnormalities." (source). This means that his sperm has been replicated many times over the course of his life. Because his age and the wear his reproductive cells have experienced over the years of his life, they are at higher risk for carrying genetic complications. By using the father's sperm, because his age, the children are at a much higher risk for suffering health complications.
The mother's aged body also brings a list of issues. During her pregnancy, she was already forced to take hormones because her body could no longer produce them (she had already went through menopause). Same gynecologist Dr. Annagani continued her analysis saying, "pumping the lady up with hormones for as long as the incubation period, increases the risk of breast and uterine cancer dramatically, which may put the woman’s life at risk." (source). Yaramati also can no longer produce milk for her infants due to her age though her doctor, Shankar, said this was not going to be a complication: “However, she cannot breast-feed the babies. But no worries. We can feed the babies with milk obtained from the milk bank.” (source). Thought this is still frowned upon because it is seen as further proof that her body is no longer able to take the stress of bearing and raising children. That time has passed for this women who has already passed the threshold to the last years of her life.
But the main person in this situation that is receiving the most backlash is the doctor himself. Though his medical review page has seen overall positive reviews and the elderly couple has nothing but good to say about him, many medical professionals are calling him unethical and reckless. Yaramati told press that they had tried so many doctors before, so they were thankful to Shankur was able to make the happiest day of their lives possible. "We tried many times and saw numerous doctors," she said. "So this is the happiest time of my life." (source).
“it is due to the grace of God and doctors that I have now become a proud father of two baby girls. God has answered our prayers. This is the happiest time of my life.” (father Rajarao. source).
However, other medical professionals do not feel the same way as the happy couple. “The doctor should be shamed and the government has to step in and punish the doctor in question,” said Dr Kamini A. Rao, medical director and founder of Milan. “From lactation issues to raising a child at that age is definitely going to be problematic. It is not just enough that a woman is walking and talking. There are many things to consider before administering IVF. She is not a baby producing machine." (source). This situation begins to morph from a morally ethical situation and bleed into a legal issue. Many people are coming forward and bring the law on their side to back up their claims that this situation is wrong. The Artificial Reproductive Technology bill of 2017 states that "IVF, per the Artificial Reproductive Technology Bill, 2017, should be available to women aged between eighteen and 45" (source). They go on to explain that this is not a "random" cap number. It was designed to ensure that there would be a lower risk that the children would lose their parents and become orphans. There is also a law that the couple looking to adopt children in India cannot have the combine age over 100 for the same reason. (source). This couple with the combined age of 156 now has two infant girls in their care.
Dr. Shankur counters these claim about the health of the mother saying that she passed by a medical board deemed healthy enough to go through with the pregnancy. However when asked about the ethics of the situation, he avoids those questions by saying that is an "emotional question." Dr. Shankur saw Yaramati as just another case.
Medical professionals argue this viewpoint by saying it is more than a case, and it is a breach of ethics. It is more than just about if the mother can got through with the procedure; it is also about the overall health and well being for the children. This situation that has been brought up with an elderly couple raising twins raises many concerns about the health and future for these twin girls.
Comments
Post a Comment