Get the Dumptruck...We've Got a Load of Crap!

SB 169 and SB204 ~


Ok...this is gonna be a long one, so get comfy.


Some of our brightest minds down at the "Gold Dome" have really out done themselves. There are a group of Senators in Georgia who have introduced a bill (SB 169) which will place a large number of restrictions on the IVF process. Like infertility isn't stressful enough already.


There are 6 Senators (all men) who have stated that they have introduced this bill because they don't want what happened in California with the "Octo-Mom" to happen here in GA. They don't want the taxpayers to have to take care of 14 kids.



Great idea...legislate based on the actions of 1 idiot in California.



Plus, 3 of the 6 Senators who sponsored the bill are also on the Health and Human Services Committee...how convenient!



Here is the link to read the bill in full...
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/sum/sb169.htm




So...as an infertile couple needing this procedure to have a baby of our own...here is our take on all of this.


This bill is being publicized as a limit to the number of embryos that can be transferred. I am extremely disturbed that the government feels as though they know what is best and feels as though a "one size fits all" bill is okay. What happened to right to privacy?


However, this is not my main concern. The bill goes on the say that you may only create the number of embryos that you plan to transfer. Are you kidding me? Let me explain how the process works.


The IVF procedure works by stimulating the ovaries to produce a large # of eggs. This is done with medicine that is injected into the body. The eggs are then harvested by taking a needle, passing it through the uterine wall, and then draining each follicle on the ovary. (Thank goodness I will be under anthesia for this!) The eggs are then joined with the sperm, hopefully fertilize, and successfully begin to divide. These cells are incubated and then examined under a microscope. These embryos are then "graded"...the better the grade...the higher the success rate for implantation and a live birth.


See the link below for images of these cells...
http://www.atlantainfertility.com/image-gallery.html


Then...the best embryos are transferred into my uterus. The standard is 2 for a woman my age. Any extras can be frozen and should the first round (God forbid) not work...we can go to the freezer and try again at half the cost. We would not have to go through the egg retreival process again.


Now...the proposed bill states that only 2 eggs may be transferred and therefore only two embryos may be created. Here is where you have to connect the dots.

If I am only able to attempt to fertilize 2 eggs...what if those eggs are "bad eggs"? What if those eggs produce Grade 4 embryos? I would have to start the whole process over...more injections, another egg retreival...all to the tune of another $15,000. Wouldn't it make more sense to get as many eggs as you can (without hyperstimulating...which is bad) at one time?


Here is a real life example of why this is a bad idea.
A couple we are friends with went throught the IVF process. The doctors were able to harvest 31 eggs. (Sounds like a lot right? Wrong.)


Of these 31 eggs, they got 3 embryos. 3. That's it. Of these 3, they transferred 2 into her uterus. Only 1 implanted. She now has a beautiful baby girl and they have an embryo waiting for them when they are ready to try to add to their family. What if it were eggs #29, 30, and 31 that were the good eggs? She would have had to spend over $200, 000 to get her good embryos and have gone through 14 egg retreivals. Makes NO sense.


(By the way...HI to K, J, and H!)


Nick and I firmly believe that this bill was also written as a response to President Obama's plans to lift the ban on embryonic stem cell research. It is not a publicized fact, but the truth of the matter is that this bill was written by an organization called "Georgia Right to Life." This group is trying to define when life begins and therefore is a "back door abortion" bill. One of the committee members also questioned a fertility doctor about "selective reduction" asking if they report it as abortion or fetal death. The doctor's response was that in GA they don't have to be put into that situation because they are conservative with the number of embryos they transfer (they follow the suggestions published by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)




We attended the hearing last Thursday and here is a brief synopsis...


2 people spoke in support...
6 groups spoke in opposition...yeah!


Some of the things that stood out...

• One of the supporters of the bill...a woman...stated that it is now the "Gold Standard" around the world to only fertilize 2 eggs...a milder form of egg stimulation. The opposition (an Atlanta area fertility specialist) responded that she failed to mentioned that these countries have nationalized healthcare and can mandate how many eggs and embryos can be transferred per cycle.
• She also stated that people refuse to eat chicken that has been pumped full of hormones so why should we not protect the women and children from the "horrible" procedures associated with ovarian stimulation. Hello! Last time I checked a chicken didn't have a choice in the matter...whether it is over being pumped full of hormones or being on the menu! I can choose to assume the risk associated with IVF.
• Senator Hudgens (the primary sponsor of the bill) compared embryo transfers to speeding in GA. He stated "in GA we don't set speed suggestions, we set speed limits." Really...that's the best you could do Hudgens?
• HHS Committe Chairman Don Thomas joked that perhaps this bill should be studied further before hitting the floor for a vote because "the seatbelt law was studied longer than SB 169."
• One of the committee members commented that the process seemed unnatural. My fertility doctor was sitting behind me and I heard her comment "Heart Transplants aren't natural, chemotherapy isn't natural." I agree...that unnatural argument doesn't work.
• Another committee member asked, "What if a young women is diagnosed with cancer and wants to freeze eggs/embyros before they are destroyed by radiation and chemotherapy?" Aren't you limiting her right to her own eggs?
• Also...this bill would not stop the birth of higher order multiples. It doesn't prevent couples from becoming pregnant with 3+ babies via IUI (insemination). Hello...Jon and Kate plus 8!
• Last comment is from me. Why are these legislators trying to limit the number of kids that I have? What about the thousands of women who give birth to multiple children (maybe not all at one time) who can't afford these kids and are dependent on the State? The majority of people who are able to afford IVF have the financial means to support a large family.

Ok...so...the rant is over...for now. The HHS sub-committee and HHS committee plan to meet again this Monday (3/9) to review the bill again. Jerks.

Please write your legislators and let them know you OPPOSE SB169 and SB 204.

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ta_stleg_home

Thanks for reading! :)