Involuntary & Voluntary Childlessness

Voluntary Childlessness

Create a T chart- pros and cons of having kids

Discuss with people at your table, why you do or don’t want to have kids

Voluntary Childlessness

Voluntary Childlessness- People who choose not to have kids

What do you think of this quote?

“ Children are the cloth of the body. Without Children, you are naked.”

Could it be…

That a man’s wealth is measured, in part, by the number of children he has?

Or that a woman’s value to her husband is determined by her ability to bear children?

Do you agree that to some, marriage without children is seen as incomplete?

Involuntary Childlessness

Involuntary Childlessness- Couple or individual who wants to have children and cannot

This state is generally the result of one of two factors:

1. No partner2. 40-50% of infertility due to physical problems

Option 1- Fertility Drugs

Drugs release hormones that induce ovulation to boost egg production and make uterus more receptive to embryo implantation

40-45% success rate with women who ovulateAs cheap as $60 a cycleCan result in a “litter”

Option 2- Artificial Insemination

Specially “washed” sperm is inserted directly into uterus- often done in conjunction with drugs

Best for low sperm count and women with acidic vaginas

Easy to do, in doctors office15-20% success rateUnder $1000Lets check out a video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR_2b5b0h1E

(6:00) ‘Modern methods of fertility treatment’

Option 3- Get some different sperm

Dads sperm is infertile so pay $300-$400 and get someone else’s

Estimated 15% get pregnant in one cycle, 80% after 6 cycles

Article- ‘Fathers Day- Two non-traditional dads, two different paths

Then Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIL3eaiOjDY (9:27) ‘Finding Free Sperm Donors Online’

Then article ‘Why this sperm donor is being ordered to pay child support’

Option 4- In Vitro Fertilization

Take eggs out, fertilize in a lab, embryo develops, plant back inside uterus

Good for women with endometriosis41% (under 35), 32% (35-37), 23% (38-40)$8000 per cycle + drug costs

Option 5- Egg Donation

Older couple gets young egg, fertilized with male sperm, implanted in old uterus

$15000-$30000Would you donate your eggs? Would you sell

them?Article- ‘Competing Perspectives’ pg. 194-95Brainstorm in groups:

-Should you be able to sell your eggs & sperm?

-Brainstorm a few reasons why/why not…

Option 6- Surrogacy

Borrow a womb!Couples fertilized egg implanted OR your egg

gets inseminated$50000- $100000Article- ‘Surrogacy in Canada Online’

There are some more methods, but you get the idea…

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (best sperm injected into egg directly then IVF)

Donor Embryos- Couples who got pregnant through IVF 7 don’t need their extra eggs

Reproductive surgery- remove scaring

Adoption

Article- ‘What is Open Adoption’

Retrieved 16 Nov 2014 from http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/adoption/thinking-of-adopting/chart.aspx

International Adoption

Video- CBC news in review- November 2009- ‘Adoption, looking for a baby abroad’