Two leading technology companies, Apple and Facebook, are funding their workers or ‘partners’ to have their eggs frozen for future IVF. This is already covered by Facebook's employee benefit plan, and Apple plans to introduce it in the 2015. Both…
“My Decision” but only if you’re pro-choice
On Sunday, ALRANZ launched a new website "My Decision" which aims to intimidate and bully pro-life doctors through naming them and publishing women's stories about their experiences with "hostile or unhelpful health professionals". Through the website ALRANZ wants to take…
Surrogacy
The story of baby Gammy's abandonment by his biological parents for having Down syndrome has opened up a wide discussion around surrogacy. As the days go on, more information is being revealed about the biological parents of the 7 month…
Life affirming ultrasound
I recently had the experience of sitting in on a 19 week pregnancy scan. For my wife and I it was the first chance to see our new child and as such, we were both looking forward to it. For…
Abortion and pre abortion visits
When the topic of liberalising abortion comes up, as it has recently, invariably there is talk about “increasing access” and reducing the number of visits required before a woman can have an abortion. New Zealand law stipulates that the woman…
The Edges of Life
The edges of life are controversial. On one side there are the debates about contraception, abortion and in vitro fertilisation. At the end of life the debates are about euthanasia, organ transplantation, and its cousin, brain death. Trauma surgeon Peter…
IVF as exploitation
I think the Catholic Church’s opposition to IVF is well known. It’s based on the principle that IVF separates intercourse from procreation. In some ways it’s like contraception, only in reverse. It’s also very costly in terms of human life…
The Pope praises Humanae Vitae
Early this week an interview of Pope Francis was run by a major Italian newspaper. As is typical with Pope Francis, he is relaxed with the media, and shows a great deal of skill and honesty with his answers. He’s…
Frozen with an expiry date
November 22nd this year will be a bad day to be an embryonic New Zealander in vitro.That’s the first deadline of the 2004 HART (Human Assisted Reproductive Technology) act. All embryos in New Zealand that have been frozen for 10…
40 Days for Life
40 days of hopeI remember during my early years at university becoming friends with an exchange student from West Germany. When she left her home country, a wall divided it from the communist country of East Germany, and people had…