Health/ Disease Blog Entry Three
Summary:
Even with the incredible achievements infertility treatments have accomplished, people around the world are still afraid to speak out. This is very apparent within china. The social stigma attached to infertility treatment is often too great for many couples to speak publicly about. However the procedure is becoming more popular and has had great success. If couples didn’t have children within a few years of marriage, they would suffer social humiliation; with often the majority upon the wife. It’s not uncommon for men to even divorce their wives if they are unconceivable. However that wasn’t an option for Hongwu and Ling. After one treatment, they were able to conceive 2 twin boys Ganggang and Yangyang. Even though they were willing to talk with the press in the end they decided to keep their full identities hidden.
Reactions:
In china, there is a high amount of pressure for couples to have children to protect the cycle of life. Children carry the family name, are there to take care of their elderly parents and help bring money into the family. Without them the whole Chinese familial structure will breakdown. This to me isn’t unreasonable but knowing that people are so concerned with not divulging whether you had this procedure is ridiculous. Having children is a beautiful thing if you’re ready and it should be celebrated no matter how it happens. I also was concerned when I learned that most of the stigma is on the woman. It is VERY possible that the man has a low sperm count or is sterile. This just shows how sexist the world can be and I can only hope that we make strides in the name of change for the future
Web Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/11/china.fertility/index.html?iref=newssearch
1 comment:
I totally agree with you about the fact that people show be proud of having kids no matter what. It is a shame that people look down upon others who are having trouble conceiving.
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