Ok, saw this on Good Morning America.

67 yr old woman and Single lied about her age to get invitro-fertilization and gives birth to twin boys.

Doctors, etc are extremely mad that she lied. Now, they're trying to pass a law of what age is too old for women to give birth.........I found this interesting, what do you think about it?

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

Lied and said she was 55! and they didn't check. She was from out of country... Gave birth to twins and is now looking for a younger man to marry. Took care of her mother for years and decided to do this years ago (have a baby after her mother passed away). I read an article on MSN... Did not see on GMA.

I guess I figure that it is an individual's right to choose but I can't see how the physical and/or emotional quality of life for herself or the children can be very good.

So they did not mention on GMA that they did not check her age? They should share in the responsibility on this. Her age was on her passport according to the article that I read... Even 55 is too old (if you ask me!). I had mine at 30 and 33 and *I* often felt that I was too old!

I'd like to know if they are going to try and pass a law to limit men in their age, of fathering children???

I think it may be selfish of her, at her age to be having children. Sixty Seven is pretty "old" IMO to have a child. There's a reason women have menopause.....that's your body telling you "OK, we're shutting down the production line, time to move on".

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

ETA: This rings of that "me, me, me" mentality. Did this woman think of anyone else (the children at least) before she made this decision?? Sometimes you just have to accept things. In her case, the fact that she's too advanced in years to have a child.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Those poor babies

IMO she was way to old to have those babies but I also agree they should have checked her age. I also agree 55 is to old too.
JMTC

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Dawnie
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If there is a will there is a way!

I think it's so selfish and feel so bad for those babies.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I agree that it was an extremely selfish thing for that woman to do. What kind of a childhood could these children possibly have to look forward to? They are always going to feel like they have to take care of mom. Who's going to take care of them if and when their mother becomes incapacitated or passes away? Maybe she'll be healthy and live another 20-30 years, but maybe she won't. Even if she does live a long life, she probably won't have the energy to play with and take care of her kids and she'll be too old to relate to the experiences and problems they will face.

I believe it was terribly unwise of her. She went into it knowing these children would have no father, and that she would be the only parent... and her age meant she was less likely than most parents to see the boys through their childhood than women in traditional mothering situations. In other words... her children are far more likely than most to be orphaned before leaving the nest. And while most children whose parents meet an unexpected early death go to live with grandparents... the only set of grandparents these boys will have had are long dead. Any aunts /uncles are surely in their 60's - 70's themselves.

I can't envision her being in a position to give them the type of supervision they'll need when they get to be middle and high schoolers.

It's odd, all the way around, and not advisable, IMHO.

Totally selfish. I don't think you can pass a law to say a woman is too old to have a baby but I do think they can say they will not medically aid a woman over a certain age in having a baby. Now, the determination of what that age would be....I have NO IDEA. Personally, I am not too keen on women over 45 who have kids. That is just me...please no flames. I know a lot of mothers are having kids later in life but it's something I just didn't want to do. I had mine when I was 25 and 27 and I barely have the energy to keep up with them!I feel for that ladies kids

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I've been told by older women that they have more patience as they got older, more patient with the kids, and I seem to be the same way... but I think that is way too old to start a family She should be a grandmother, if not great-grandmother at that age! I thought maybe she adopted but she got pregnant?? OMG! I definitely felt this last pregnancy much more than my first two, I was 30 and 22 and 25 the first 2 times (maybe it has something to do with number of pregnancies, I could barely walk at the end, pubic bone separation and all that).

I LOVE BABIES! But I can tell you that there is no way that I want to have a baby at 65.
I don't know if you have more patience then or just lack the energy to care about things!

At her age I am having great grandchildren

67 is too old, especially by artificial means. I guess I am an older mother but I am healthy and people think that I am younger. My kids keep my energy level up but there is no way I'd want more at 55 or 67! I started late-I had my twins when I was 36, and I had my four year old when I was 41, almost 42. I think that there are women who could have a healthy pregnancy at 45, but the incidence of birth defects goes up. I recently read that there are more problems for kids born to fathers over 40 too. I will have to find the article and post it.

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Jocelyn



My babies are the joys of my life and keep me young:
The twins,Tatiana Gabrielle and William Joseph , 1/29/97, and baby boy, Jared Lawrence, 8/27/02.

Years ago before there was birth control women had babies until they could not have them anymore (if they lived that long). My DH's grandma had her last baby at 56, his family is Catholic and GM thought she had a tumor, since she was going through the change. THe Dr said nope a baby. Surprise surprise *L* Of course my MIL was upset since was pg with DH, so DH and his aunt Kathy are 3 months apart in age.

I do not think you can legislate laws on how old you can be to give birth. Stats tell us women over the age of 35 have a much higher risk of birth defects, however so many women are having children in their late 30's and into their 40's, not paying much attention to the stats. You really get into gray areas when you start telling people they can and can't have kids. 12 yr old can get abortions so why can't a 67 year old have children? It is not up to us to decide who gets the priviledge and who doesn't. And you know what the Dr's did not really care how old she was, she could pay for the treatment and they took her money. Older men in their 60's and 70's marry much younger women and start families, then die not being able to raise the youngest children. (ie Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon) No one has a fit about it.

So is this a sexist issue (okay for men, not for women?) or a social issue ( who can have and not have children?)

That she disgusted me on TV. She talked about how she had no intentions on leaving these children, Because she wasn't going to die anytime soon>>>> WHAT? I am not sure that anyone actually has 'intentions' of dying . I found that statement within itself utterly ridiculous!

Then she was breast feeding and the docs had many comments on that. Especially because she had reportedly went thru menopause over 20 years ago. Thus there is extreme possibility of malnourishment. Not sure of all the technical terms, etc on that subject, but that's all I needed to hear. My point is that she KNOWINGLY lied and put her health at risk but most importantly she subjected these children to possible birth defects, as well as a number of other things AND continues to do so.

A reporter asked her what would happen if she were topass EVEN though she has no intentions and her answer was simply, I have friends.................my question on that is, do u reckon they are also in their 60's or 70's?

As for the doctor's being held responsible, I aint sure that I can 'completely' blame them, (but then again, I have never been thru invitro) because I know that no doctor I have ever seen has checked my age, other than verbally asking me. But on the other hand, if they have rules in place NOT to impregnant anyone over 55, then yes, they could've easily asked for documentation.


I just think this is horrible.

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

In general, I am not in favor of single people adopting children, unless the child is likely to otherwise be stuck in foster care for his/her childhood, but were I in favor of it, I would not be in favor of a man adopting a child at the age of 67. I think it is not a good idea for a man to father a child at that age, either, but at least if it was a situation where an older man was married to a younger woman, the chances of the child making it to adulthood with at least one parent intact are much increased.

I doubt this woman put her babies at any greater risk for birth defects. She was not using her own eggs, and it tends to be the eggs that cause the birth defects in older birth mothers.

Perhaps this is sexist, but I do think that especially when children are young, the mother plays the key parenting role. I think we're biologically programmed to be nurturers. We carry them for nine months and are then capable of nursing them - things men simply cannot do. Doesn't mean they don't love them, but it does mean that they love differently. That said, the older the children get, the influence of a father is very important... so I don't think it's wise to set children up from the get-go to be very likely to lose either parent before they leave the nest.

The biggest problem that I see is that the children will just not have enough time with their parents. My Dad passed when I was 29 and he was 69. I know that I had him for almost 30 years, but that just wasn't enough time for me. I would have liked for him to see me settled and happy. I would have liked for him to meet his granddaughter.

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NO WAY

You are soooooo right!! Sherri

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"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

ITA!!!!!!!!!!!!1

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

So she is 67 so when her childen graduate from high school she will be about 85. How many out there have one parent who lived to this age?? My mother died at 62 and my dad last fall just shy of 80. So who will take care of the boys as their is a high probability that she won't see them to maturity. Very selfish.

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All you can do is All you can do-- But All you can do is enough!!!

My Generation: I am 33, my father is 53, and my grandmother is 70.

My grandmother travels all the time. She is so full of energy it is unbelievable. She loves life and lives it to the fullest. She still gardens, goes to cannery to can her own veggies, pulls tobacco, drives tractor, etc. NOT a lazy person at all. And Often, when we're seen together, people think she is my mother, not grandmother.
**H O W E V E R, she occassionally keeps my kids for me to run errands like once a week for a couple hours. And the 1st thing she will say to me is HOW DO YOU DO IT 24 hours a day? She is literally worn out and that's only babysitting for 2 or 3 hours once a week for ONE child who is potty trained and really doesn't require that much attention. SO, I am thinking if this fully energized woman is exhausted for one child for 3 hours, how the heck can a 67 year old woman responsibly care for two newborns? It's just unreal! I think someone needs to step in and assure that these children are taking care of, there is no need for children to suffer because of a person's selfishness!

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

I think it is wrong. Now if she were a grandmother or regular person taking custody of children out of an unfit environment I could understand that a little better because that isn't selfish.

My mother was pregnant at 40-41 yrs old with my younger brother, the doctor was trying to convince her to abort since there was a chance that he could have some health issues like be down syndrome or something like that. My older brother didn't want my mom to go through with the pregnancy because he didn't think he could stand that I was 10-11 yrs old and my mother asked my opinion. I remember thinking even though it would be hard to have a brother or sister with a disability how could I sit there and tell my mom to get rid of the baby. It seemed cold hearted to me. I am so glad that my mom stuck by her decision because I have a healthy younger brother who is an absolute blast to be around and just graduated from college and is doing very well.

What we all would have missed in life had my mother went through with what other people wanted.

I guess my point is I have my opinion, yes it was selfish for this lady at her age but then again maybe these kids are a blessing in disguise and maybe there is a lesson to be learned. I do think there is a possibilty of the kids being embarrassed as they get older because people will think their mother is their grandmother.

I hope for the kids it all works out.

I think 67 is too old to have a baby by artificial means. If she had gotten pregnant on her on I would just put it down as God's will.

As for her being selfish, she's no different from any other parent in that manner. The decision to have a child is inherently a selfish one. It's just more acceptable for some than others. We all have babies because we want them and we expect the world to stand up and applaud.

I don't think she did it as an act of love. I think she's a very selfish person. And she lied about her age...I really don't like deception. ~Lisa

I just thought of something else- is she working?? She is old enough to collect social security and do they still make it mandatory to collect SS at age 70? Will the government be subsidizing her and her boys?

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All you can do is All you can do-- But All you can do is enough!!!

I have to agree with the posters that pointed out that men do this all the time with nary a raised eyebrow. And they may also be using fertility treatments (ICSI) to get their partners pregnant.

Why are we being so much more judgemental of this woman? Is it because she lied or because she wanted to have children? Does this fertility clinic have an age limit for its male clients?

There are tens of thousands of grandparents given custody of their grandchildren. If you set an age limit for bearing children do you also have to set an age limit for raising them?

I have not decided whether I agree or disagree with the situation, but I do know that I strongly feel the standards (legal and/or moral) should be the same for men and women.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!

WEll, as a 65 yo grandma and raising my 6 (soon to be 7) yo granddaughter, it's definitely not easy on either of us. She can really wear me down quickly. And there are so many things she'd like to do and I'm just not up to it.
I only have her because of her parents lack of responsibility and lack of parenting ability.
Her mother's other 3 kids were taken away by the authorities and this one would have been next if I hadn't taken her. She is my son's only child. The other 3 were by a former relationship.
I would much rather be spending my senior years doing what most old ladies do at my age. But in the same turn, I just couldn't see my grandchild in foster care with total strangers.

So from my point of view, this lady has to be totally out of her mind. I agree with those who said it is very selfish of her because, no matter what she might think, the likelyhood of her living long enough to raise them is very slim.

I have a friend who has been in foster care for many years. She adopted one of her foster daughters 15 years ago when the child was a newborn. I thought back then she was loony for doing it. And now, at 58, she's in the process of adopting another 2 yo girl that she's had since she was a baby. This will make her 77 yo by the time the girl becomes of legal age. And once again I'm thinking she's totally lost it.

I think children should be raised by parents who are of child baring age. The kids are the ones who are loosing out on many things in life.

JMHO

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Barb


My GOD Bless our Country and our Troops, and rid the World of terroists.

My personal opinion is that it is selfish for the child who will not have their Mom around for very long and the time she is around she is possibly too old for the kinds of things Moms do with their kids.

Just my opinion.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I tend to agree with the moral/legal... but this has an entirely different aspect: biology. For whatever reason, women tend to biologically be able to bear children for a much smaller window of their lives than men. They are still physiologically capable of fathering a child even up around the age of 80, where women tend to not be able to past the age of 40 - 48 without medical assistance. Women also tend to outlive men by about 15 years, I believe.

The practicalities brought about by biological likelihoods have to be taken into account.... as well as the needs of the children, and whether a parent over a certain age is apt to be able to fill the roles a child needs filled.

In order to prevent a man over the age of 70 from fathering a child, one would have to require that men be sterilized after a certain age. Nature, by that age, has already sterilized women.

I think babies are adorable.

I also am overjoyed I am not that woman!
I do NOT envy her situation.

I really hope she has lots of help lined up.
She's gonna need it.

I just read in the paper that she LIED about her age to get medical coverage. She is REALLY 55!! Anyone else see this? I have to go back to the article, now to see what country she is from and why it mattered how old she was.

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~LOL~
ladyoleisure@lycos.com

Your heart understands what your head cannot yet conceive; trust your heart..

I just read in the paper that she lied about her age, to get medical coverage. She is really 55!! Did anyone else read this? I have to go back to the paper, to see why her age mattered enough to make her lie!

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~LOL~
ladyoleisure@lycos.com

Your heart understands what your head cannot yet conceive; trust your heart..

Well 67 or 55 I dont want to have babies at that age!!! I was 18 when I had my oldest 12yrs ago today!! And 27 when I had my youngest & let me tell you thiers a huge difference I am not getting any younger lets just say that!!!

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mom of 3 greats girls

Because it is usually a personal issue we don't really know how many of these older men do use fertility intervention (ICSI, for example) to father their children. They sure aren't going to brag about it. I know we can't legislate biology, I was referring more to the distinct possibility that fertility treatments may actually be assisting some of these men to bear children. There are alot of men of all ages receiving infertility treatments (or their partners are, because of the male infertility) .

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!

She is 67 and LIED and said she was only 55. That particular fertility clinic will NOT do women over 55, thus, this is why she lied.

She lied and knew it was wrong, I think her intent is obvious. Pure Selfishness.

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

There are so many cases of women having babies who are not in a position to care for them that worry me far more than this 67-year-old woman. She was wrong to lie about her age, the clinic was wrong to not do thorough checks before proceeding. Unless the clinic was looking to get in the record books, I'm guessing that she must be in pretty darned good physical condition for her age. I hope that she is able to care for the children well, or make other good arrangements for them, until they are ready to leave home.


cj/

I'm sorry...this is terrible but it's the first question that came up in my head...
Does Medicare cover prenatal care, labor, delivery, and post natal care? Can you imagine...being 67 and going into labor? I would think the pain alone would kill you! I know there are drugs but again...there are precautions and accidents. My eighty year old grandmother can't stand veggie tales or thomas the tank engine so I can't imagine what educational programming these kids will be forced to watch! Not to say I can stand it but I tolerate it and I am 27. It makes my two year old happy.
I don't think she was selfish...I think she is insane! Maybe with losing her mother she felt a void and thought these kids can take care of her like she took care of her ailing mother. My mil's mom didn't start having kids until her early fourties...needless to say, I never met my husband's grandmother. They thought she was really young to be dying at 82. I think that's a nice full life. Like I said, I never met her so I don't know what her life quality was like at the age of 82. Interestingly enough, she didn't die of old age, she died of complications to breast cancer.
MTCW

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