Parents experience bond with own children

In her column in the Sept. 1 edition of The Chronicle, Maureen McClarnon declared that women should abandon expensive fertility treatments in favor of adopting children born of less fortunate circumstances.

Although this is a good theory, such an idea is much more complicated in practice. First of all, procreation is not simply a want, it is an inborn desire. Millions of mothers can tell you that their pregnancies provided an intimate bonding experience with their children, even before they were out of the womb. They can also tell you it feels like a personal triumph to hold another human being in their arms-one each and every mother's body worked so hard to create. It's natural to want to have such an unspoken bond between mother (and father) and child.

Secondly, as women are waiting until later in life to begin their families, they are having more and more fertility problems. Older eggs and reproductive systems beget fewer healthy fetuses. Miscarriages only strengthen a woman's desire to persevere in the struggle to bear a healthy child. These older women often have greater financial resources to pursue fertility treatments, and they should be able to do so.

Finally, adopting a child is not nearly as easy as it might sound. I know a late 30-something couple who, after unsuccessful attempts to have a second child, had considered adoption as an alternative. Because they are an older couple with one biological child, however, they were told their chances were slim. Families have been refused on account of age, health and financial resources-plan to be armed with a small fortune if you hope to adopt a child, let alone raise one.

Modern medicine brings us many benefits, not the least of which are advances such as penicillin, vaccinations for deadly diseases and even contact lenses. Let us not criticize those who choose to make use of modern medicine to create a happy household.

Leslie Deak

Trinity '98