Elderly couples who want to have a child through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) should compulsorily nominate legal guardians for their baby prior to treatment, a doctor who recently helped a septuagenarian couple give birth to their first child has suggested to the apex body of gynaecologists in the country.
The medical fraternity across the country raised concerns after the couple from Amritsar couple — Mohinder Singh Gill (79) and his wife Daljinder Kaur (72) —— gave birth to a child on May 11 through IVF. Many, concerned that the child may not get a normal childhood, demanded that a law be fin this regard.
Dr. Anurag Bishnoi, who helped the couple, has suggested in his letter to the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) that IVF experts should opt for self-regulation while helping such couples as the right to become a mother is a “fundamental” right.
Proper care
“In future while taking elderly couples above age of 50 years, IVF experts should make it mandatory for patients to nominate legal guardians before taking the IVF treatment and an affidavit in related court be made. This will ensure that children born to elderly get proper care in case of any eventuality. We feel this new arrangement should make all sections agree to bring end to recently risen genuine concerns by medical fraternity,” he wrote.
Recently, there has been an upsurge in the number of older women getting pregnant with the help of assisted reproductive technology, Dr. Bishnoi said, adding that educational and career goals, late marriages and rise in contraception services had contributed to the shift in child bearing patterns. American law, he explained, has no such restrictions but guidelines recommend that all patients over the age of 45 should undergo a thorough evaluation. — PTI
