Thank you for returning to give us your take on the links listed above.

Although the success rate for IVF in a woman aged 60 and over is ·8%, and so expensive at the moment, it can still give a false hope to so many vulnerable women. Yes, when the emotion takes over they are vulnerable. I actually wonder about the motives of some of the Doctors who provide this service to women over 60…. Is it genuine help, research or the money to fund a grand lifestyle that drives them on?

Now, I do wonder why women such as Elizabeth Munro and Carol from Moral Maze, who knew they wanted children around the ages of 45-50 and weren’t successful in having them naturally then, didn’t consider adoption years earlier? I understand that there’s a certain biological drive that makes women want to be pregnant, give birth and all that. But, I feel that if I badly wanted a child and couldn’t have one, I would prefer to wait a year or 2 to adopt, rather than spend years upon years trying fertility treatments that were more likely than not to be unsuccessful.

Prof. Bostrom, I think, was my favorite of the Moral Maze witnesses. Even though Melanie was rather antagonistic toward him and I was ready to gag her. I thought he was fair. He said that, the older the potential parent(s) become, the less likely it is that a decision to have a child would be a wise one. But, he also pointed out that there are factors that might compensate positively to balance out the older age of the mother, such as socioeconomic background.

I liked what Claire had to say and was basically in agreement with her. Whether or not we, as individuals, are totally comfortable with women in their 60s and older having babies, the decision can really only be between the woman and her doctor. We can’t appoint a panel of people to make decisions on who will and won’t be a fit parent or draw arbitrary lines. There are too many variables in play.

What really hit me after listening to Moral Maze-reading it here just didn’t get it through my skull, apparently-is that there’s such a tiny chance of someone over 60 becoming pregnant through IVF. And so few can afford to try in the first place. So, bottom line, is this going to become a big problem? Likely not, unless the technology improves a lot. Which it certainly could. Seriously, though, most women that age do NOT want to have a baby, anyway.

As for Carol, I’d be curious to know if they received any calls from women eager to be her egg donor. Ha ha! I do think she made some good points in her argument, particularly about scientific advances constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s considered to be the norm. While I doubt motherhood at her age will ever be regarded as remotely normal in my lifetime, I suppose it’s possible that 100 years from now she’ll be looked upon as a pioneer. Doubtful, but possible.

I am blessed to have regular visitors who vary in age, culture and walk of life right across the globe. Friendships have grown not alone with me but with several of them emailing each other behind the scenes. Long may it continue.

I look forward to hearing your views after listening to the Moral Maze and perhaps the link left by Ramana to a BBC video of a younger woman.

My only issue is the way the PRESS has skewered Elizabeth Munro, a private citizen, when she has done nothing to seek any media attention. The other women you mentioned all spoke to the press, I believe. And this Carol (I have yet to listen to it, but will before the day is over) seems to be after the attention. She isn’t even pregnant yet! I have a feeling she is going to give me the willies.

Firstly, since the four names I mentioned in my piece above were already in the public arena, I had no difficulty is using them. I used them purely for reference purposes.

The replies before you joined in were from a broad age range (20 through to 84) and both sexes. The average age for those who left comments was 57. Eight of them were part of a couple. Most of them stated that they would not like to begin or add to a family at their mature age.

My main difficulty was pushing the clock to such extremes. Carol the woman of 72 actually said on air that her life was ‘too busy’ up until this stage to have a baby. We are not talking about conquering Everest or a polar walk here, we are talking of a human being that needs nurturing, education and caring love to prepare for a fulfilling life.

I am not saying I am right and everyone else is wrong. Everyone has their own views and that is why I asked for them at the end of the post.

I am the (unplanned) child of older parents, myself. Granted, they were 20 or so years younger than Elizabeth is when they had me, which does make a difference difference. I have siblings who are 23 and 18 years older. And there were people then who thought my mother should’ve had an abortion because of her age. But, I was always reassured that my parents loved me and wanted me very much and I think Elizabeth will do the same for her son. I did go through a stage in which I found it embarrassing. However, I ultimately wouldn’t have traded parents with anyone. My parents are still alive, healthy and in their right minds and my whole family is fortunate in that.

I don’t feel that her age means that she can’t give her child a great life.

I came to the conclusion that there’s no way to legislate this, because every woman/family is different. One woman might not be healthy enough to have a child at 40. This woman managed to carry a pregnancy nearly to term at 66. As much as *I* personally would not want to have a baby at that age, especially on my own, what’s right for me is not right for everyone. And even though I question the wisdom of procreation past 50ish, it’s really not my business. In this case, it’s Ms. Munro’s private business and she said as much.

In reading about Ms. Munro’s situation, I found that she had tried to have a child for more than 20 years. That’s persistence! She is wealthy, which doesn’t fix everything, but does help. She thought long and hard about this and looked at the risks and benefits. Hopefully, that means her eyes are wide open to the potential pitfalls of motherhood at her age and she has planned for any eventuality. She has a nanny. So, she’s not totally on her own. She obviously really, really, really wanted her child and he will at least be loved and well provided for. Is that enough? I don’t know. Let’s write him in 20 years and ask!

I agree with you, the child is the most important person in the equation.

Nancy’s comment with the joke is six from the top!