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The American Fertility Association Blog

Dear Toronto Sun Editor

July 14, 2009 - Tuesday
Posted by admin

A columnist with The Toronto Sun provided some very concerning and damaging advice to one of the publication’s readers, basically saying there’s no need to worry about having a baby now and that 40 is the new 30.  Her remarks could mean the difference between having a baby and not being able to conceive.  Please read the article and then the response below written to The Sun by AFA’s Communications Director, Brian Armentrout.

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Dear Toronto Sun Editor,

As a former journalist of nine years, I was a bit surprised to see journalist Robin Anderson so presumptuously jump to conclusions regarding one’s fertility in the recent column entitled Biological Clock Tick-Tockin’ Away.

While the title is accurate her statements within the piece are completely and entirely contradictory and go against the point made in the article’s title.  As a journalist, I constantly upheld my honesty, integrity, and credibility by thoroughly investigating and researching everything I wrote and took the ten o’clock news.  It’s clear Ms. Anderson’s standards are much lower.  Let me explain.

“These days, 40 seriously is the new 30. Many women are waiting until they are more “mature” to marry and have children.”

This statement is inaccurate.  A woman’s fertility begins to decline substantially at age 27.  Ms. Anderson has fallen into the mindset for which we can thank Hollywood.  All of these 40 something actresses are getting pregnant; what they fail to tell you is they probably spent thousands of dollars on infertility treatments and medicine, not to mention to emotional agony experienced by someone dealing with such a horrible problem.  The truth is 40 may already be too late.
 
“I would, however, caution you to examine why you want to have a baby before you do anything. If it is because you think a woman needs to be a mom to be whole, or because you want something to nurture and love, please reconsider.”

If a woman wants to have a child to be whole, or want something to nurture or love, what’s so wrong with that?  A woman’s decision to become a mom is her business and her business only.  It’s not up to a columnist to tell her to not have a child because she wants something to love.

“Give yourself six months to think about things.”

Seriously?  That’s like telling a smoker to keep smoking for twelve more months before you decide to quit, not to mention the possibility of getting cancer in the meantime.  Or telling an alcoholic: go ahead keep drinking, give yourself a half a year to think about quitting and only hope your liver doesn’t fail during that time.  A woman’s fertility is constantly declining and six months could mean the difference between being able to successfully conceive child and not being able to get pregnant.  You must act quickly.  Infertility is a huge problem.

My New Career

I mentioned I’m a ‘former journalist.’  Since July of 2008 I’ve been the Communications Director of The American Fertility Association.  We strive to create fewer patients; not more.  Our mission is simple:

To help people prevent infertility whenever possible and help people build families of choice, particularly when faced with infertility.

The AFA has been around for more than a decade and we’re doing better work now than we’ve ever done.  Our biggest push in 2009 is infertility prevention in men and women, which is why it disheartens me, the entire AFA staff, and our constituents, to see this type of inaccurate editorial.  In a perfect world, I’d like to see a retraction.  While that may not be necessary, I’d like this letter to at least be forwarded to Missing Out on Motherhood.  I’d also make the request that you post this letter in its entirety in your Letters to the Editor section.  Please accept this letter in the spirit for which it’s intended.

Best,

Brian Armentrout
Communications Director
The American Fertility Association
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
o: 205-425-3644

About The AFA

The American Fertility Association, a 501 (c) (3) national non-profit organization is a lifetime resource for infertility prevention, reproductive health and family building. AFA services and materials are provided free of charge to consumers and available to everyone without reservation. These services include an extensive online library, monthly online webinars, telephone and in-person coaching, a resource directory, hosted message boards, daily fertility news, a weekly newsletter and a toll-free support line.
http://www.theafa.org or 888.917.3777.

 

Categories
Family Building • Fertility • Fertility Drugs • Fertility Preservation • Infertility • Infertility Drugs • Pregnancy



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