Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the Presenting Sponsor of the AFA Website
The AFA thanks Google, a premiere sponsor, for their online advertising grant.
The American Fertility Association Blog
Time for Change
October 27, 2008 - Monday
Posted by Lisa
What started out as a project for me has grown into so much more. As of Monday, the 27th of October, I will have presented my Senior Graduation Project regarding A.R.T to the Graduation Project Board of Judges. My project, however, has become secondary to the actual work I have done and will continue to do. The research I have done, the powerpoint presentations I have delivered, and the thesis papers I have written regarding A.R.T have all been beyond interesting. Be that as it may, the people I have met, and the stories I have been told by both fertile and infertile couples, have made the work I am doing special and inspirational.
With out the help of A.R.T I would not be sitting at my desk writing this blog right now, so I’m well aware of the impact A.R.T has on life in general. However, I am not the only 17 year old walking around and enjoying life thanks to this technology. But as I have learned, there are many families that have not begun because of the financial toll A.R.T carries. I thought I would focus on a specific story that was sent to me early on in my project.
The story is of a woman who had a child that was diagnosed with Hunter Syndrome - a disease that is 100% fatal and usually kills within 12 years. After almost two years the disease cut the child’s life much too short. After the fact, the family was in debt over $1,000,000, and bankrupt. After a slowly digging themselves back toward financial stability , the husband and wife still want a child of their own, but have a 50/50 chance of having a boy with Hunter Syndrome or a daughter who is a carrier of the disease. The family decided it would be irresponsible to take the risk. As terrible as this situation is, the family is not out of options. With pre-implantation genetic testing, doctors could determine if an embryo would produce a healthy child, and then use IVF to begin conception. A procedure like this can cost anywhere between $15,000-$20,000. However, after coming out of unimaginable debt, this kind of money is not laying around, or readily available. Insurance companies refuse to pay for even part of this procedure for the family. In other words, insurance companies are willing to allow individuals to rack up millions of dollars in medical costs, under their current plans, when providing $15,000 could avoid all medical and financial problems whatsoever. Now, the woman is 30 years old and as she put it, “the clock is ticking.”
Unbelievable is the only word that comes to mind for me. This is just one story as well. Imagine how many people out there are in similar situations and can simply do nothing but watch the time run out. Bankruptcy or not, families do not have tens of thousands of dollars available for A.R.T, especially young couples looking to begin a family. Stories like this make my project and the work The AFA does worth while. I’ve heard it a lot these past couple of months, but it’s about “time for change.” It really comes down to a question of ethics, and the current state of coverage of A.R.T. is simply unethical. The story above represents why I and so many other care so much about this topic and would like to see a change.
The full story, along with others can be seen on my website at: http://www.freewebs.com/reproductivetechnology/testimonials.htm
Thanks for your time,
John Taylor
Categories
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
WOW
October 17, 2008 - Friday
Posted by Ken
WOW. That was the response from the staff and board when we read the email from a very articulate and deeply thoughtful young man named John Taylor.
John, whose story follows in his own words, below, wrote to us with his concern about the lack of insurance coverage for Assisted Reproductive Technology (A.R.T.) such as IVF. His story is particularly compelling because without IVF, John would not be with us today.
John has signed on as The AFA’s Youth Advocate, working with us to raise awareness about A.R.T., the costs involved, and the lack of insurance coverage. He’ll also be helping us get the message out about fertility preservation, especially STI prevention and avoiding environmental toxins as a means to protect reproductive health.
Most exciting to me, though, is having someone like John who has the courage to simply say what’s so about his own life, and to care enough about others to want to ease their journey.
So on behalf of the board, the staff, and most importantly, the people we serve, welcome! We’re glad you’re here, John.
With my great thanks,
Ken
PS – John can be reached at Youth@TheAFA.org.
As this is my first post for the AFA’s blog, I thought I would take the time to first introduce myself. My name is John Taylor, a senior at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School in Raleigh North Carolina. Recently, I have been named the AFA’s Youth Advocate. I began working with the AFA when I shared with them my senior graduation project dealing with the lack of recognition A.R.T receives from society and specifically insurance companies.
At Southeast Raleigh High School the students are asked to develop an essential question and research the topic throughout their high school career. My essential question sprang from a newspaper article my English teacher, Ms. Kaulfuss, shared with the class dealing with the underfunding of I.V.F. The article did not strike a chord with any other student. I myself am the result of A.R.T. and specifically I.V.F, so this article was right down my alley. Thus, I developed my Essential Question: How have Assisted Reproductive Technologies impacted society and specifically families?
In my research, the lack of funding insurance companies provide for A.R.T. shocked me. With the overall success rates of A.R.T. hovering around 40%, I doubt many infertile families are willing to spend around $10,000 for the chance of having a child. However, I feel having a child should not only be a privilege for those who are financially secure. A.R.T. has become a program for the wealthy.
I have now made it my goal to work, along with the AFA, to raise awareness for A.R.T. The more people that find A.R.T. as a viable solution to their fertility problems, the higher the success rates will go. If success rates continue to rise, I feel insurance companies will have to include A.R.T. in their coverage somehow.
I know personally the importance of A.R.T. It does not seem just to me that someone can be denied the chance of being a mother or a father because of financial limitations. I have put together a website for people to share their thoughts and A.R.T. experiences: http://www.freewebs.com/reproductivetechnology. The site also tells a little more about myself and the project I have put together. I look forward to working with the AFA, and your responses!
Thank you for your time,
John Taylor
Categories
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink