Are Reproductive Technologies a Good Way to Help People Have Babies?

Are reproductive technologies a good way to help people have babies? Some say that third party reproduction and surrogacy provides a great new way for couples to have children, as long as there’s a contract that protects the couple wanting the child and ensures that the woman who carries the child is paid fairly. If someone said this to you, “what would you say?” Artificial reproductive technologies are opening up incredible new possibilities when it comes to having children. But when you get into a conversation about using technology to make babies here are three things to remember. First. Children have a right to their parents. It’s not only common sense, it’s also part of the most widely ratified treaty in human history, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Every child has “the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.” This means we should not separate children from their parents except when the child is at risk. Second, Children are harmed when they are separated from their biological parents. We’ve been studying family structure for decades and we know that when a child loses a relationship with their mother or father, they are at disproportionate risk of incarceration, homelessness, poverty, depression and suicide, dropping out of high school, teen pregnancy, obesity, and behavioral issues. Of course, many children do well despite losing a parent, and good adults can work to fill in for missing parents. But growing up without their mom or dad forces children to face serious obstacles in the long run. Obstacles that should never be intentionally introduced. Third, Third-party reproduction separates children from their parents. Sometimes technology is used to bring a child into the world that will be raised by his or her biological parents. But often times, “donor” egg and/or sperm are used, which separates a child from one or both parents. Not only does this separation subject children to the risks mentioned above, but donor conceived children often experience identity struggles and grief over their missing parent. Coping with that grief can be challenging because the child knows that the parents who are raising them are the very people who chose for their other parent to be missing in the first place. Desiring children is healthy and natural. Forcing a child to sacrifice so adults can have a baby is not. Children have rights. Rights that they cannot defend themselves. Those rights need to be respected and protected by the only people in society powerful enough to do so—adults. So let’s review. Next time someone says that reproductive technology is a great way to help people start families, here are three things to remember. Children have a right to their parents. Children are harmed when they are separated from their biological parents. Third-party reproduction intentionally separates children from one or both biological parents. For What Would You Say, I’m Katy Faust If you like this video, let us know below. If you want to make sure you see the next one, hit subscribe. To help keep these videos coming and free to the whole world, Chip In below.