by Dave Cupples

Created on: April 09, 2009

Should a woman with children undergo infertility treatments to have more? No, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't have the right to, if she wants. The American Founding Fathers claimed that certain rights are inalienable, having been bestowed by the Creator, and the right to have children should be one of them. I also hope that our world is moving toward a universally free society and that a woman's country of residence would not be a factor, so even women in way overpopulated China should be free to have children if they desire-but I hope they will think about some things before they do.

The first thing a woman should think about before undergoing infertility treatments, especially if she already has children, is the overpopulated state of our planet. Is there some overriding reason why this infertile woman should have more children? Is she an especially good mother? Is her child likely to grow into another Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King? Fill in whatever name you want, from Beethoven to LeBron James, nobody can say for sure that their child is going to contribute anything of value to society or the larger Universe. As acknowledged, everybody has the right to reproduce, but every aspiring parent should weigh this extra burden to our already suffering planet, especially if they already have kids, and MOST especially if they require technological help to accomplish the pregnancy. A litter of puppies is awfully cute, but that doesn't mean that every bitch should have two per year just because it's possible.

What Nadya Suleman did, having artificially induced octuplets to go along with the six children she already had, is unjustifiable; and one doesn't have to be a psychiatrist to suppose that she is suffering some mental disorder. The planet is full of lonely women and adolescent girls who think that a baby will give them the love that their parents, the cute guy down the street, and society in general have not. I feel sorry for those women and girls. I really do. But a woman's need for love isn't a reason to have a baby. It might, however, be a reason to adopt one of those cute puppies I mentioned.

Another thing that any aspiring parent who needs technological help should think about is why that help is needed, and the question should again be asked within the context of an overpopulated planet. The following argument will not get me any invitations to speak at women's forums, but it needs to made.

Six decades ago, John B. Calhoun began

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