The Right to Bear…Children?

Whether you’re a parent or not, one thing you probably know is that babies cost a lot of money. When the baby gets here they eat all the time, shit through a billion diapers, grow out of their clothing at an astronomical rate, require all kinds of medical care and come with all kinds of cute accessories people can’t help but purchase.

Something you probably haven’t considered is the cost associated with conceiving the child in the first place. There are many Americans who cannot have a child naturally, on their own. Infertility affects about 7.3 million women in this country — about 12% of the reproductive-age population*. Fortunately, we live in a modern society where medical technology allows infertile men and women to have children if they so choose. Well, if they so choose and if they can afford it. Fertility treatments and procedures are crazy expensive.

The cost of giving birth using assisted reproduction technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) exceeds $100,000 when the probability of a live birth falls below 15 percent … The cost of IVF using donor eggs ranges from $15,000 to $25,000. The delivery rate per donor egg is approximately 51 percent at Segars’ clinic, making the cost approximately $30,000 to $49,000 per live birth. **

If you have insurance, it might not cover the procedures. Your coverage depends on where you live and the type of plan you have. Fifteen states currently have laws that require insurers to either cover or offer to cover some form of infertility diagnosis and treatment. Other than that, you’re kind of on your own. This IS America, though and we know that healthcare is a joke here. There are more than 47 million Americans without insurance.***

So what about people who cannot afford it? Should they just give up on the idea to EVER have children of their own? I remember, during my first year of law school, discussing natural rights in constitutional law. There’s a natural right to life, for example. [I understand that this could be a point where one would interject an abortion debate, but it’s not time for that.] Is there a natural right to bear children?

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I didn’t come up with anything cool or funny or interesting to write today. I did just get rolling with my internship so I’m pretty busy during the day. While I look in on a few things online, I haven’t had any time to post from work or do the other silly things I do on the net usually. Then I’ve been rushing home to make spin at the gym or to run back out with friends. I’m tired, yall. I’m switching from mostly daytime posting to evenings, if that makes any difference to when you check me out here.

I could have written something today that wasn’t just this drivel seeping out of my brain at 1:48am but it’s late/early, ya know? I helped out a friend tonight by gracing him with my presence while he waited on another friend. I had to drive and run in the rain. Good thing I wore my hair natural today and didn’t have to do the Dominican Dodge (what I now call running from moisture after getting a press/blow dry at the Dominican salon). I could blog about the sushi I ate earlier, but that’s not all that interesting.

I could speak on some interesting (in my opinion) legal issues from the news that I’ve been mulling over, but I don’t have time to really come to the legal conclusions necessary for the blog I want to write. That one will just have to wait.

I could show you 2 pictures I took today. They’re of my fish in his bowl. His name is Terrance. He’s a Beta. Isn’t that just the bourgiest bowl?

I, at some point, want to begin pontificating on relationships. Not tonight, though. I’ll probably have to put a disclaimer on it though. I don’t want people hitting me with the “why are you blogging about me” bullshit. Ol I Bet You Think This Blog Is About You asses.

Sometimes it’s difficult deciding what to write about. Certain days I’m teeming with little bits of randomosity or shit I need to get off of my chest. I find interesting things to share here and I hope you get some value out of that. Other times I’m bone dry for ideas.

I am lying in my bed as I type this. Literally. I am laying on my side with one of my laptops sitting next to me. Comics Unleashed is on in the background. I think that show has a horrible format. Byron just sits there and sets mediocre (for the most part) comedians up for their lame punchlines. The AC is on low. I bought a new unit for my bedroom. With this eastcoast heatwave it was necessary. It’s much quieter than the one from last summer (which now lives in the living room). There’s half a glass of water on the nightsand. It’s nearly 2am. I have to wake up in 5 hrs. Lids are getting heavy. Time to log off.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring enough crazy bullshit to inspire me to write about something other than my ceiling fan (which I installed myself in my bedroom). I have been compiling a list of little tidbits that annoy or interest me. Not enough for a post of their own, but it soon come (let my Jamaican contingent tell it).