Hot on the heels of the now infamous birth of octuplets, Georgia is the first state to introduce legislation that will prevent doctors (and their patients) from inserting so many embryos all at once. The octuplet birth was as a result of the insertion of six embryos.
Senator Ralph Hudgens (R) of Georgia admits the Nadya Suleman controversy was his inspiration in the introduction of his bill that is trying to limit the number of embryos to two, per woman, per time if the woman is under 40 years old. The number would go up to three if the woman is over age 40. This bill is being touted as the "Octomom Bill".
The recommended number of embryos to be inserted in women under 35 is two and a maximum of five in women over 40, according to the The American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
In light of the Suleman case, many people agree with the premise of this bill. They believe that not only is it of very high risk to both the babies and the mother to have so many embryos implanted, but the cost to the taxpayer is also ultimately too high.
But not everyone is happy. Many believe that women and couples, desperate to conceive, may lose out on their chance to conceive if they are limited to the number of embryos they can use.
Others believe that the choice should be left to the prospective parents and their medical professionals and that the government needs to stay out of the private lives of private citizens.
Tell Us
Do you think a woman should be limited to the number of embryos she can have implanted? Is it our business? Does it make a difference if she can or cannot afford to raise potential multiples? Should it make a difference?