Jon & Kate + Ethics
By Michael Leshinski
You might be familiar with the popular reality series called Jon & Kate Plus 8 that airs frequently on The Learning Channel (TLC). As an avid TV watcher, I frequently have to share the remote with my female counterpart as she likes to watch the show. But I must admit, the kids are adorable and it can be entertaining at times. If you are unfamiliar with the program, it centers on a family of ten, including the mother, father, and their eight children. Kate, the mother, was originally unable to get pregnant due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a disease which affects the ovulation cycle of about 5-10% of American women.[1] In order to get pregnant, Kate underwent fertility treatments. In her first pregnancy, the treatment was successful and she eventually gave birth to twins. A few years later she decided to have more children and once again underwent fertility treatments. The second time around was also successful, but this time she gave birth to sextuplets.
What many people do not know is that a reduction was performed during Kate’s second pregnancy. This means that there were actually seven embryos, but she only gave birth to six. This is where the topic starts to heat up. Embryo reduction, also known as selective reduction or feticide, is often performed during fertility treatments especially when there is a birth defect or possible complication to the pregnancy. But what if no complications exist? What if the pregnancy is going smoothly, but the parents just want a certain number of children? Is it ethical to discard the third fetus, if you can only handle two? In this case, some could liken this to the abortion issue and the right for women to choose. In Kate’s case, I believe that she chose to do the reduction for the health of her and the other babies. You may still disagree with her decision.
3 comments:
I occasionally watch this show as I channel surf, but I was unaware of why the family underwent fertility treatments.
I can say this--I have a hard enough time managing one child, let alone 8.
The decision to reduce embryos would be difficult for anyone, especially people who had trouble conceiving in the first place. However, if you do not have the means to take care of that amount of children, take into consideration the possibility of birth defects, or if the mother's health is likely to be compromised, embryo reduction might be your only answer.
I watch Jon & Kate Plus 8 somewhat frequently and I would like to point out quite a large error in your post.
The seventh baby originally part of the sextuplet pregnancy was lost due to a natural miscarriage on the Christmas Eve prior to the sextuplets' birth.
Jon and Kate are both strongly against reduction (which is why they have sextuplets!) and talk about this openly.
While your argument is important and valid, I just felt that the show shouldn't be used as an example, since the parents in this case are feel strongly that reduction is not apppropriate.
Post a Comment