Bartosz
Arłukowicz, the Polish Minister of Health, has recently announced that in vitro
fertilisation (IFV) treatment will be financed by the government starting July
1st 2013. According to the statistics from the Public Health System,
approximately 15% of couples suffer the pain of not being able to conceive a
baby naturally. The lucky 15 thousand couples will be able to get free
treatment up to three cycles. The only condition is that the mother needs to be
less than 40 years old. The programme will run for three consecutive
years. Without the programme, each
couple spends approximately eight thousand PLN on each trial.
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*Picture taken from Fronda.pl
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The procedure
of IVF can be compared to baking. In this case,the ingredients are egg and
sperm. They are mixed together in the laboratory dish to produce embryos.
Once combined ( after 3-5 days) there are placed in woman's uterus. The uterus
is like the oven where baby grows and develops for the next nine
months. Even though the treatment is still quite controversial,it has been in
place for the last 30 years.The first IFV baby, little girl, was born in
1978 in Manchester, England.Nowadays thousand of babies are born every day
through the procedure.
Looking
at the statistics from the 2006-2007 HFEA Guide to Infertility (UK), the
biggest chance of conceiving has women under 35 years old and the chances are
28.2%.The percentage goes down with the age increasing. Unfortunately, the
statistics do not report on how many trials it took to conceive. The IFV
clinics recommend for couples to do at least three cycles. Hence, will the free
cycles offered by the Polish Health System be enough?
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| *Picture taken from humanreproduction11.com |
Also,
let’s not forget about the side effects of the treatment. The single biggest
risk from IVF treatment is multiple births, and particularly triplet births. One would argue that this is a miracle, not a
side effect. However, the multiple births carry many health risks for mother
and unborn babies, including the risk of death before birth or low- weight
births. As reported by HFEA Guide to Infertility (UK) “currently 23.6% of IFV
births are twins or triplets”.
The
question remains if the couples that undergo in vitro fertilisation are
emotionally ready for the rocky road ahead. Also, how will the 15 couples out
of million chosen?
To
add, the Catholic Church condems any type of IVF procedures seeing it as an act
against God's will. It is viewed as going against the institution of marriage
as well as procreation making the couple feel guilty of their choices.
As
seen, there are a lot of questions that need to be addressed before the programme
takes place.
- Do you think in vitro fertilisation should be paid by the government?
- Do you see in vitro fertilisation as doctors playing God?
- What do you think
about in vitro fertilisation in oppose to adoption?
Source:
ReplyDeleteNo speaking about religion, only about humanity against biology.
By milions of years nature created us and selected best of our kind, which can survive, get food, partner. In vitro is against evolution and natural selection! If a couple can't have children, it means nature have reason to prevent it. Woman and men should have their childern before 25. After this age is only worst. Damaged children, "grandparents" with small kids and so on...
From the "human" point of viev.
I understand couples that want so badly to have children, but from some reasons they can't. I would spend my whole money to have one. Personally I rather have no children than adopted one.
It is not government money! People like you and I give money to "one big bag" and then spend it. So I think If someone pay tax every month should have all what he/she need, or paying "ZUS" and other taxes should be fully optional!
No one asks me If I want to spend my money to rescue 4th time some alcoholic without insurance, but government takes my money to cure him//her...
This whole system is bad, people should have influence on what money go.
Unfortunately, not every pair of data is to have children. It seems that infertility and sterility is a real disease of our time. More and more we hear about marriage that unsuccessfully, for years trying to desired child. It is them that information, and therefore take different approaches to infertility and infertility treatment. In some cases, medical ways to prevent such situations actually produce the desired effect, but it happens at a high cost, and not just financially.
ReplyDeleteChildren with in vitro may be as fortunate as others. They are loved by their parents and treated like a real treasure. Were awaited for years. Their mom and dad did not hesitate to take the greatest hardships to appoint them to life.
Overwhelming desire to have a child means that among approximately 4,000 Polish pairs per year, which take in vitro fertilization, the vast majority are Catholics, despite the critical opinion of the Church in this matter. The other 25-30 year thousands of Polish families can not afford this treatment.
Treatment in vitro is the creation of a new life and for families who have exhausted other means of procreation own biological children, so it is good. In the present state of development of this technique produced embryos overtime. Their eventual destruction does not raise anyone's fun, but it is temporary and shall be primarily interested in assessing the most conscience - infertile families.
The decision on the financing of in-vitro fertilization should be made only on the basis of merit, taking into account medical financial capabilities of the state and demographic policies affecting the priorities to support specific health benefits.
Is in vitro should be funded? In my opinion, yes. Maybe I have a little knowledge of this topic but for me it's just another branch in which we get "free" treatment from the state. From this it is quite stormy particular issue. For many, becoming pregnant is a gift from god, its not treat others as a curse. Medicine is a science which is supported by a large part of society for centuries and around her thanks to her civilization developed. Unfortunately, science explains more and more, and at odds with the beliefs of religion and culture. While we live in a country where human consciousness is high, Polish to such countries should not be, the mentality of people to change. For example, Jehovah Witnesses and their religion does not allow blood transfusions, because these are their beliefs. One of many examples where religion does not allow science to allow the people to live longer. It's terrible but it's unfortunately true.
ReplyDeleteCan you compare the adoption and in vitro? Definitely not. For me, in vitro conception is very close to natural conception. However, a child that has been adopted will never be a child who was already an eye in the head before the come into the world.
Adoption is a form of helping others in vitro is a cure for the disease called infertility.
Should in vitro be paid by the government? No, because there are many, many other things that should be refunded by NFZ and that are more essential, as for example drugs for multiple sclerosis.
ReplyDeleteFor me in vitro fertilization is like any other treatment, both for refunding and ethical questions. Until we change human genome, I don't think it's playing God. If it is so, what can be said about the rest of our medicine? Hand transplant is playing Frankenstein?
Although I believe that the infertility topic itself is very delicate and multidimensional. You can not just conclude that adoption is a worthy replacement for the in vitro. The need for having children is a complex thing, with social, emotional and instinctive aspects. Of course it would be very utilitarian, but it seems to me that it's not so easy.
So it is a difficult subject for a man, but in answer to the question, of course, I think that, you know, not every family can have a baby, because of diseases or random cases, so that families should share in that opportunity. Finally, a real family is based not only on loving marriage but also the children who we love the most. Permits for the second question does not speak on matters of religion, as it is for each individual question.
ReplyDeleteIn vitro, it should be paid for and supported by the government because not everyone who is not fault of their own children can not afford to have it.
ReplyDeleteInvitro should be available not only for the wealthy people who can afford such treatment. Often you can meet with pathology in families rich, so let's give the poor a chance to become parents so that they could hear the word Mom, Dad. This does not exclude people from our society with less than us, because they sometimes are better parents than others wealthy. I'm too vitro and I think that the church should not speak on this issue, because the priest will not to keep the child, as well as to maintain not make any.
First of all I am definitely for in vitro fertilization when it comes to couples who are ready to have children, just do not have sufficient health conditions to do it by themselves. What is more I really admire people who decide to do this, as it is not seen as something usual and some people totally disagree with trying to change what nature has decided. Only brave people can afford it. The fact that it costs huge amounts of money is a very difficult obstacle to overcome by couples with low incomes. This makes me feel content with government being about to help those people. As long as the development of medicine lets us to fulfill our dreams, we should use it. Argument which says that government has more important expenditures does not convince me because the government’s role is to try to create future and children are those who are the future, so every money put in the youngest ones is an economical investment.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I do not consider in vitro fertilization as playing God but as helping people to achieve their goals, have families and continue generations. Since some couples do not imagine their lives without descendants, in vitro fertilization is totally justified.
However, I think that people should deeply consider adoption before deciding for in vitro. Either way, the children are not born in the usual way, but sometimes we can help one from an orphanage to be happy instead of giving a birth to another (although also happy) one.
First of all. It shouldn't be paid by the government. It's actually not paid by the government but paid by each of us.
ReplyDeleteTaking my money from taxes and giving it to some strange people is not a good choice. Maybe we should low taxes so people would have more money and could pay for In vitro fertilisation?
Today we're going to pay for fertilisation and tomorrow government will find some other expedintiure for really low percent of society.
There are a lot of ways to have children even if one of partners is sterile. There is adoption, in this way people can help someone. I know it's not the same but it's one of options.
Do you think in vitro fertilisation should be paid by the government? Yes, it should be refunded as others, often very expensive, methods to cure illnesses.
ReplyDeleteDo you see in vitro fertilisation as doctors playing God?
Following that point of view, whole medicine is playing God.
What do you think about in vitro fertilisation in oppose to adoption?
IMO, two different things. Can't have people to adopt children, when they want theirs. Not everyone is able to love adopted child as much as one's own.
Topics of this week are very sensitive :) i have to keep the rest of my bad emotions for me. I feel sorry for the kids, their mothers, fathers, this is not what the world should look like. This is all wrong, we loose our humanity day by day and one day, the world will be a total randomness, there will be too much tabu topics, so we will not be able to speak to each other, because we will be scared that we might hurt someone asking about someone's mother, date of born etc or maybe what planet does he come from... And before the topic of transvestite will appear up here, i'd like to share this music:
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/6VJBBUqr1wM
It's about transvestite. Music is just a cool house radio song. You should think on this one.
I have got really mixed feelings about the government paying for in vitro, but if it can help someone live, and not hurt the rest of us - ok, let it be. Doctors are Gods for what they do nowadays. See? there is a God, who is overpowered between us, and thinks he does good things, when there are many bad things going on at the same time. This is what we call GOD - the good one and the bad one at the same time. In my opinion adoption in oppose to in vitro, is much more better "solution".
In my opinion in vitro becomes very popular in Poland, so the government should help polish couples and reduce costs of fertilisation. I know that we have many children in orphanages but I think that the level of adoptions won't fall down. Why? Because even if in vitro fertilisation will be available for free many catholic polish couples will make an adoption, because in vitro is against their faith.
ReplyDeleteI don't see in vitro fertilisation as doctors playing God, because doctors always playing God when they rescue somebody from car accident or sth.
There is bigger thing going on out there. In vitro fertilisation is not a cheap thing. We're talking about millions of euros here. Only a naive person can think that there is no lobby behind it. Thats why I don't think in vitro fertilisation should be paid by the government. Maybe some part of total amount, but certainly not all.
ReplyDeleteHowever this case is not that simple, because there are loving couples out there who want to have a children and they often cannot afford in vitro. I think the best solution would be to have refund based on couple's income.
And there is third factor - kids without families, waiting to be adopted. They also have right to be happy and in vitro refund will definitely reduce adoption rates.
As for doctors playing a god - I am not into religion, so the "issue" doesn't exist for me :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if goverment shoud pay for in vitro. In my opinion, if the answer is yes, it should cover part of the costs. I claim that there are lots of other too expencive ,not paid, life saving threatments.
It depends on what you belive. I don't think in vitro is something like doctors are playing God. If we say like that, all medical miracles are. I think the medical achieves are due to the hard work of scientists and doctors.
I mentioned in the previous topic about my approach to adoption. Some of you said that not all people are able to love an adopted child as their own. In such situation I understand choosing in vitro way to have a baby.
I think that getting in vitro fertilisation is a big step in medicine and should be fully avaliable.
ReplyDeleteIf it comes to paing by government i think its a non sense and shouldn't be even considered. The main reason for
that is the fact that we have a lot of issues that need money and are much more important. The second reason is that families that can provide such an strifical fertilisation will for sure have money too uprise their children properly.
The money issue will exclude some people who might not have appropiate financial situation.