GRESHAM LECTURE IV

1
GRESHAM LECTURE IV

• Fertility and Feminism

2
The Older Mother

• Liz Buttle was 60
• Donor eggs

3
The Oldest Mother

• Dr Rashbrook was 63 and already had children but
  her new husband had none

4
Older fathers OK?

• Father aged 90 holds his 21st baby

5
Fertility For Ever

• Frozen eggs give hope to young cancer patients

6
As Fertile as a Man

• Career women can put their eggs on ice until the
  time and the man are right
• Cl 15(3) 10 years storage

7
Storage and problems

• Natallie Evans was diagnosed with cancer at a
  young age
• She had her eggs fertilised by her partners
  sperm and frozen

8
Parenting and human rights

• Who most needs to be a parent?
• Natallie and partner separated and he withdrew
  consent to implantation
• She lost her case in the UK and in Europe on the
  ground of equality

9
2008 Act solution

• Sch 3 para 7 if one of the two donors withdraws
  consent, the clinic must notify the other
• Embryo may be stored for 12 months cooling off
  period

10
Octuplets

• Nadya Suleman, already mother of 6, had 6 embryos
  implanted and gave birth to 8 babies in 2009 in
  the USA.

11
Multiple embryos

• Should the older woman be allowed to take risks?
• Dangers of multiple births premature, cerebral
  palsy, stress, expense
• ARGC judgment