But unlike some other countries, the United States has no laws to enforce those guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a surveillance system that collects data on fertility clinics, but reporting is voluntary and there are no government sanctions for not reporting.
As a result, experts say many doctors are still implanting too many embryos to increase the chance of pregnancy. Only 11 percent of in vitro procedures in the United States involve single embryos, according to 2006 data from the C.D.C.
But the 2008 guidelines say that in many cases, it is healthier to implant only one embryo, even if it means the process has to be repeated, because of the risk of multiple births. In the case of Ms. Suleman, the California Medical Board said it was investigating her fertility doctor, Michael M. Kamrava, to determine whether accepted standards of medical practice had been violated. In an interview with NBC News, Ms. Suleman, 33, said that Dr. Kamrava had implanted six embryos, and that two of them had divided into twins, resulting in eight babies.
This really isn't about "choice" or the dubious rights of people to have children. This is about the health of any babies being born and about their overall well-being.
Updated: By the way, the TMZ picture of Suleman when she was pregnant with the octuplets wasn't photoshopped.
It's a wonder her belly didn't drag on the ground.
Another update: You know the saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"? Well, Angelina Jolie is NOT at all flattered by her imitator. She says Suleman has her "totally creeped out."
No comments:
Post a Comment