World
A baby girl was born on Nov. 28 and placed in the arms of her 70-year-old mother, Rajo Devi of Alewa, India, believed to be the oldest woman in the world to bear a child. Of course, some medical tinkering was involved:
“We used the usual intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique,” the couple’s fertility doctor, Dr. Anurag Bishnoi, told the Times of India. “The ICSI method enables even poor quality sperms being used creating embryos.” In Devi’s case, the paper adds, the doctors used “blastocyst culture,” transferring the egg after five days in vitro instead of the usual two or three.
The couple, married for more than 50, have told the media that they are thrilled to finally become parents. One of their relatives reportedly told The Independent that people should not worry about who will raise this newborn, since they live with a large extended family.
“There are countless people to take care of her,” the relative reportedly said. How much parenting will her septuagenarians parents actually experience? While modern medicine has obviously helped millions struggling with infertily, where is the responsibility in this case? Where are the ethical considerations? Who decides who is too old to become a parent?
Should women continue to seek medical treatment to become “mothers” long after nature has taken that option off the table? This story seems so sad. Sad that a couple found no other way to make their lives complete. Sad for a little newborn who will be lucky to have her parents through her pre-teen years.
Aisha covered education and breaking news for nearly ten years before joining the Lifestyle staff where she writes a "Dirty Laundry" parenting column. She is the home and family editor and wastes too much time on Facebook. Join the conversation on Twitter @AishaS. 
These people finally became parents at age 70. Hmmm…wasnt infertility something that could be treated 10 or 20 or 30 years ago? Why now at age 70? Going for the world record, I suppose? Given the amount of hormones that have to be pumped into her to have sustained this pregnancy, and her age, this woman is lucky not to have had a heart attack (like another elderly woman in Florida who had twins not too long ago). The world generally frowns upon people who play high-stakes betting games with other’s lives. In this case the bet is whether their offspring will become someone else’s responsibility. The second bet is whether that person will raise the child with as much love and caring as they would have. These are not bets most rational people would care to make.
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If this little girl makes her parents happy, that’s all that matters. It takes different things at different stages in your life to make your life complete. And I don’t think it’s sad that this newborn might lose her parents when she’s under 20…I know kids who lost parents when they were teenagers, and the parents were only in their 30’s. I wish this family the best.
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Arent India’s street packed full of starving kids? Why didnt they help one of them? But I suppost you could ask the same question right here in the US?
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Many grandparents are “parents” to their children’s children. Should they be dismissed? Older aunts and uncles become parents as well. I became a parent at 40 and it wasn’t so long ago that I was considered too old for parenthood. I’m a far cry from 70, but it’s doubtful the couple went into this without thinking of the child they eventually would be leaving behind. The last thing any “thrilled to be” parent needs is someone else in their business.
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I don’t understand why you say it’s sad. No one is born into ideal circumstances. Is it only a joyful blessing if the mother is aged 18-35? My mother was 16 when I was born and was seriously lacking in parental skills. I’m still thrilled to have been born! This child will be raised in a village where the community takes on the responsibility and privilege of rearing children. I think she’s a lucky baby.
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…and catch Dan S tonight in his performance as the Scrooge in A Christmas Carol!
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Just what India needs is one more person added to their population. Isn’t 1 billion enough? As long as they pay for the child completely, it doesn’t matter to me. I really believe people would have fewer children if having children was not subsidized and the free market was allowed to work. Population growth is what’s really destroying the earth. There are less and less resources per person to go around. Imagine the problems we will have when the world’s population doubles!!! More wars over resources, more mouths to feed, more problems.
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