"pose virtually no risk to the fetus" isn't exactly true, is it Jonathan? Amnio is pretty safe, but you can't do it till second trimester. chorionic villus sampling, on the other hand, can be done trimester uno, but has a higher risk of miscarriage. more info with your hyperbole, por favor?
You can also do a blood test on the mother's blood for a molecule called alpha-fetoprotein. A low value with correct dates (15 weeks, usually) is a good predictor. See this free article for more info.
Plus, kudos to Dear Science for being clear that it's only the risk for chromosomal abnormalities that goes up with a woman's age. Other genetic defects do not. Too many people don't understand that.
Last, but not least, Dear Lord, how on Earth would you ban older mothers from having babies? Sterilize them all?! Force abortions? Completely incompatible with freedom.
There are no easily reversible vasectomy procedures. I assume you are referring to the Vasclip. Although using a clip to close off the vas deferens is more easily reversible than a traditional vasectomy, there would almost certainly be some impairment in fertility to due damage to the vas and development of anti-sperm antibodies. Like a vasectomy, the vasclip procedure should not be performed on someone who isn't sure he doesn't want children.
Science does create more options, but not infinite ones. At some point, you have to close off some options in order to pursue others.
Vasectomies are more reversible than they used to be, due to both less destructive vasectomies and better reversal surgeries, but they are far from being 'easily' reversible. If a person gets a vasectomy, they should assume they are going to be infertile forever. The possibility of a successful reversal is a bonus.
So,"Not Born Right" (and I'm assuming you weren't), would you tell a person with Down Syndrome, (or their mother) that they don't have a right to be on earth and should never have been born because of their "mental weakness?"
Would you mandate that older women, disabled women, and maybe poor women or women of color shouldn't have babies because you're uncomfortable with looking at difference?
Who the hell are you to determine whether someone else's quality of life makes it not worth living? Please don't tell me you're "pro-choice" or I'm going to vomit.
My mom was 40 when my parents decided to try for one more, 23 years ago-- and here I am. My only health problem is asthma. Every pregnancy has risks, and women who have been properly educated are quite capable of making an informed decision. Should we limit any group who may carry a higher risk from conceiving (which would, in the end, include every woman)?
Having older parents has been a bit of a boon. They're more stable, more experienced, and a heck of a lot calmer. Our household was never frantic. My dad retired when I was in kindergarten, meaning I had two full-time parents.
The reproductive crisis we face, truly, is that 17-year-old girls like Palin's daughter feel pressured to marry somebody who doesn't love them and keep a baby they have no business having. Adoption, maybe, would be the answer, but the better answer would have been birth control and real sex ed in the first place.
http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr08-31-06-1.cfm
Plus, kudos to Dear Science for being clear that it's only the risk for chromosomal abnormalities that goes up with a woman's age. Other genetic defects do not. Too many people don't understand that.
Last, but not least, Dear Lord, how on Earth would you ban older mothers from having babies? Sterilize them all?! Force abortions? Completely incompatible with freedom.
Science does create more options, but not infinite ones. At some point, you have to close off some options in order to pursue others.
Would you mandate that older women, disabled women, and maybe poor women or women of color shouldn't have babies because you're uncomfortable with looking at difference?
Who the hell are you to determine whether someone else's quality of life makes it not worth living? Please don't tell me you're "pro-choice" or I'm going to vomit.
Having older parents has been a bit of a boon. They're more stable, more experienced, and a heck of a lot calmer. Our household was never frantic. My dad retired when I was in kindergarten, meaning I had two full-time parents.
The reproductive crisis we face, truly, is that 17-year-old girls like Palin's daughter feel pressured to marry somebody who doesn't love them and keep a baby they have no business having. Adoption, maybe, would be the answer, but the better answer would have been birth control and real sex ed in the first place.