Australia’s oldest mum gave birth on Monday after undergoing fertility treatment at 63. The Tasmanian woman and her 78-year-old husband had reportedly been trying for a baby for years and managed to conceive using a donor embryo overseas and undergoing IVF treatment.
Instead of being congratulated and showered in love like other new mothers, this new mum is being labelled as ‘irresponsible’ for bringing a child into the world at her age.
The medical professionals who administered her fertility treatments are also being slammed.
I, for one, couldn’t be happier for her. For me the birth of a new baby is always a beautiful time, regardless of the age of the mother involved. I admire her for a few reasons.
Australian comedian Mary Coustas underwent 23 rounds of IVF before conceiving her daughter Jamie. She and Mia Freedman spoke about her experience on the podcast No Filter!
Firstly, she didn’t give up on her dream of motherhood after undergoing fertility treatment for years, probably decades.
Secondly, she didn’t let her advancing years stop her from doing what she wanted.
Fertility treatments are a miracle and we should all have equal access to them, regardless of our age or circumstances.
Otherwise, we’ll end up living in a society where other people get to decide for us if and when we can become parents.
That’s not the kind of society I want to be a part of.